On June 24, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Mercury Marketing, LLC, and several affiliated entities and individuals alleging that the defendants impersonated substance use disorder (SUD) treatment clinics in search ads to deceptively route consumers trying to call those clinics to the defendants.
FTC Alleges Fake Rehab Ads Misled Vulnerable Treatment Seekers
According to the FTC, the defendants used search advertisements that impersonated legitimate SUD treatment facilities. These ads displayed the names of specific clinics and included phone numbers that, when called, routed consumers to the defendants’ call centers. Call center representatives allegedly misrepresented themselves as staff of the searched-for clinics or as employees of a centralized admissions office. The call centers then directed consumers to treatment centers owned by or affiliated with the defendants, such as Malibu Detox and Malibu Recovery Center, without disclosing their true affiliations.Continue Reading Lead Generation Scams in Healthcare: FTC Files Case Against Impersonator Ads