Attorney General Pam Bondi takes action to shut down business scam
Business using free OSHA materials to target companies
Author: Jeff Weinsier, Investigative Reporter, jweinsier@Local10.com
Published On: Aug 11 2015
Attorney general addresses alleged scamming business
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -
The Florida Attorney General's Office wants to put the owner and operator of Federal Safety Compliance (Safety Compliance Publications), Steven Mishkin, out of business for good after Local 10 News exposed an alleged scam last year.
Mishkin ran a call center on Dixie Highway in Hollywood.
Attorney General Pam Bondi filed suit in Broward County Court seeking restitution.
Local 10 News discovered Mishkin's telemarketers would cold call businesses all over the U.S., lead them to believe they were out of compliance with federal law and send them posters and materials.
The state says in some cases the materials were not requested.
Mishkin would then bill companies for the materials when Occupational Safety and Health Administration-compliant materials are available for free on the OSHA website.
According to the complaint, Federal Compliance Publications, Inc., Joseph Mishkin, and Steven Mishkin typically billed the companies nearly $300 for these materials, and in some instances threatened legal action against the companies and hired a collection agency to seek payment for the unsolicited materials.
In 2014, the Attorney General's Office entered an assurance of voluntary compliance with the businesses to stop conducting misleading business practices. After the agreement was reached, the Attorney General's Office continued to receive complaints claiming the defendants were still engaging in the same unfair and deceptive trade practices explicitly prohibited by the terms of the agreement.
The lawsuit filed in Broward County circuit court seeks a permanent injunction against the defendants and restitution for consumers harmed by these unfair and deceptive trade practices.
Local 10 investigative reporter Jeff Weinsier approached Mishkin outside his Hallandale Beach condo.
Mishkin refused to comment.