A fraudulent grant company has been banned in North Dakota.
Parrell Grossman is director of the attorney general's consumer protection division. He says a cease and desist order has been filed against Jeremy Silvers of Mesa, Arizona. Silvers was representing himself as Premium Business Solutions, LLC. He was investigated after an elderly consumer was promised a grant to help her pay off her credit card.
"They charged the consumer almost $2,500, and she alleges she was never told about the charge. She never received a grant - all she received was a simple booklet about grants. That's not a grant. And so we reached out to the company after we engaged in an initial investigation to give them an opportunity to respond, issue a refund and make this right - but I would categorize this as ultimately uncooperative."
Grossman says Silvers failed to provide documentation and then ignored the investigators further calls and letters. He says Silvers continued to make contact with the elderly consumer directly and make further promises of grant opportunities. Silvers even asked the consumer to sign a new agreement and withdraw her complaint with the consumer protection division. Grossman says North Dakotans should be reminded that if you have to give credit card information or asked to pay anything up front - it's not a grant, it's a scam.