AG sues Illinois firm over fake 'local' home repair sites
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued B.E.S.T GDR, LLC, doing business as Premium Home Services, and owner Yosef Bernath in state court, alleging the company ran a scheme to sell fraudulent home-repair services to Minnesota homeowners.[1]
The complaint says the company bought ads and local phone numbers for hundreds of fake Minnesota "businesses" and routed calls to an overseas call center where workers pretended to be local staff.[1] Ellison alleges Premium Home Services sold subscription plans and charged visit fees, then subcontracted jobs to unlicensed or unqualified workers and in some cases never delivered paid-for services.[1] The Federal Trade Commission and the Illinois attorney general filed a coordinated federal lawsuit against the same defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on the same day.[1]
Ellison's filing describes the fake local listings as central to the alleged fraud, saying they let the defendants capture inbound calls and convert them into recurring payments or one-time service charges.[1]
The twin actions by state and federal enforcers put the defendants at the center of a broader crackdown on deceptive home-repair marketing and lead-generation tactics aimed at homeowners.
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📌 Key Facts
- Minnesota AG Keith Ellison sued B.E.S.T GDR, LLC d/b/a Premium Home Services and owner Yosef Bernath for alleged consumer protection violations involving Minnesota homeowners.
- The company allegedly bought ads and local phone numbers for hundreds of fake Minnesota “businesses,” routing calls to an overseas call center where workers posed as local staff.
- The lawsuit claims Premium Home Services sold subscription services and visit fees, then subcontracted to unlicensed or unqualified workers, and in some cases never delivered paid-for services.
- The FTC and Illinois Attorney General filed a coordinated federal lawsuit against the same defendants in the Northern District of Illinois on the same day.
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