Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Illinois attorney general filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois against Premium Home Service (PHS) and its owner. The complaint alleges that the defendants created thousands of online business listings for purported home repair companies and posted fabricated five-star customer reviews associated with those businesses.

On the same day, the Minnesota attorney general filed a parallel action in state court based on similar alleged conduct, underscoring the potential for overlapping federal and state enforcement.