Evoke Wellness, a Miramar, Fla.-based substance use disorder clinic, will pay $1.9 million to settle allegations it used misleading advertising to bring in patients, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC alleged Evoke ran deceptive Google search ads impersonating other providers, according to a June 10 news release. The company allegedly used the names of other addiction treatment clinics as keywords in order to appear as those clinics in Google ads.
When customers called Evoke’s phone number listed in the ads, telemarketers typically posed as a central admissions office or addiction treatment hotline, the FTC alleged.
According to a proposed settlement order, Evoke and two leaders of the company, James Hull and Jonathan Moseley, will pay $1.9 million to the FTC to settle the allegations. The order also bans Evoke from using competitors’ names in search engine ads and impersonating other businesses.
Evoke will also be required to implement a compliance program to monitor its call center for any false claims.
“Today’s settlement helps consumers affected by opioid addiction navigate their path to recovery by preventing fraudsters from leading them astray,” FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson said in the release. “The commission will continue to take every action it can against those who prey on our nation’s vulnerable in their time of need.”
Evoke, Mr. Hull and Mr. Moseley do not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
