Attorney General Bondi Files a Complaint Over Land Buying Scheme

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – June 5, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a complaint against Property Solutions International Corp, Premier 1 Property, Inc. and Marvin Scott for allegedly defrauding consumers out of thousands of dollars. According to the complaint filed this week, the defendants promised consumers they could sell their property for many times the value of the land. The defendants charged upfront fees on average of $2,250 for brokering the deals, sometimes promising to refund most of the money, but rarely following through on those promises.

The defendants used unlicensed telemarketers to contact potential sellers, promising that buyers were ready to purchase their properties. In one case cited in the complaint, the defendants contacted a senior citizen and told him, for $1,300, they could sell his $4,000 property for nearly $30,000.

In most cases, the defendants told consumers the payments would be used for attorney’s fees, closing fees, transfer fees, title fees, broker fees, deed fees, administrative fees, assessment fees, and to post the consumers’ property on its websites, CoastToCoastland.com and FSBOPropertysolutions.com. The defendants claimed the websites were viewed by 200 million people, however, these claims are inconsistent with the websites’ traffic estimates.

The complaint seeks restitution for 34 complainants that allegedly paid more than $70,000 to the defendants. The defendants also conducted business using the names Coast To Coast Land and FSBO Property Solutions.

Attorney General Bondi’s Consumer Protection Division is the civil enforcement authority for all violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The Division protects Florida consumers by pursuing individuals and entities that engage in unfair methods of competition or unconscionable, deceptive and unfair practices in any trade or commerce. The Division also often partners with other state attorneys general, other state agencies, and the federal consumer protection enforcement agencies in joint enforcement efforts. Since 2011, the Division has resolved more than 550 matters and generated more than $10 billion in recoveries. Approximately $9.8 billion of that total has been scheduled or has already been returned to the benefit of Floridians.

Contact: Whitney Ray
Phone: (850) 245-0150