A company has agreed to pay $350,000 over claims that it sent threatening spam emails regarding the rollout of the Affordable Care Act.
{mosads}Kobeni Inc. and its president, Yair Shalev, have agreed to pay the sum to settle regulators’ charges that it sent deceptive emails that pushed recipients to register for health insurance and falsely warned that users would be violating federal law if they did not do so, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Tuesday.
The FTC brought the charges — its first related to ObamaCare fraud — in January.
According to the agency, the emails warned recipients that they must immediately enroll in specific health insurance programs or they would be violating federal law.
“New Federal Law signed by the President made it mandatory for all U.S. residents to have active coverage,” the emails said. “You will be in violation and face penalties if you do not elect.”
The emails then directed recipients to websites containing advertisements for insurance companies, the FTC said. Those insurance companies paid the email spammers when people clicked on their ads.
The proposed settlement, approved unanimously by the five-member commission, also prohibits the company from sending deceptive emails and from violating the Can-Spam Act, a federal law that sets rules and consumer protections for commercial emails.