FTC Stops Scheme That Did Not Deliver on Post Office Job Promises

An operation that sold worthless prep materials for post office jobs that didn’t exist will give up almost all of their assets to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the scam violated federal law.

The FTC charged that the operation misrepresented that they were connected with or endorsed by the Postal Service; that postal jobs were available; that customers would receive study materials that would help them pass the postal entrance exam; and that customers who pass that exam were assured jobs with the Postal Service. In reality, none of these claims are true.

The scammer, Jeffrey Wayne Simmons (a/k/a Wayne Simmons, a/k/a Wayne Stevens) and his companies, Information Resources of Nashville, LLC and Career Services, LLC, will give up all of their material assets as part of the settlement, including: property in Antioch, Tennessee; a motorboat; two jet skis; and bank accounts. The order enters a $1,297,247.79 judgment against the defendants, suspended based on their inability to pay more. If it is found that they misrepresented their financial status, the full amount will be due. The order also prohibits the defendants from misrepresenting any material fact regarding any good or service.

The FTC worked closely with the Brentwood office of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General. The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the stipulated final order was 5-0. The final judgment and permanent injunction was entered in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on November 7, 2006.

NOTE:  This stipulated final order is for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by the defendant of a law violation. A stipulated final order requires approval by the court and has the force of law when signed by the judge.

Copies of the stipulated final order are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.