Further Charges Against Telemarketers

OTTAWA, July 18, 2002 — The Competition Bureau announced today that further criminal charges were laid under the misleading representation and deceptive marketing practices provisions of the Competition Act against two telemarketers responsible for making false or misleading representations to the public under the business names S.D. Prestige Enterprises and J.C.&A.

Janice Gold and Doron Kunin were charged in the district of Montreal with five counts each for making representations to consumers with respect to the winning of prizes and the quality, value and nature of the prizes and other promotional products that were false or misleading in a material respect.

These charges follow similar charges laid against S.D. Prestige Enterprises, Farber Blake Corporation and J.C.&A., their directors David Leb, Annath Abecassis and Tina Athanasopoulos and individual telemarketers in June 2001.

"These charges signal the Bureau's ongoing efforts to pursue all individuals responsible for deceptive telemarketing which targeted thousands of Canadian individuals," said Raymond Pierce, Deputy Commissioner, Fair Business Practices Branch.

The charges were laid with the assistance of Project Colt, a joint task force based in Montreal. Project Colt was set up to investigate telemarketing and mail fraud and consists of Canadian and U.S. law enforcement agencies, of which the Competition Bureau is a member.

Consumers who suspect they have been the victim of deceptive telemarketing are encouraged to contact the Competition Bureau's Information Centre at 1-800-348-5358, or Project PhoneBusters at 1-888-495-8501.

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that promotes and maintains fair competition so that all Canadians can benefit from competitive prices, product choice and quality service. It oversees the application of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking Act.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Maureen McGrath
Senior Communications Advisor
Communications Branch
819-953-8982, or 613-296-2187 (cell)