A Christian influencer is taking warmth for her not-so-holy practices after she was accused of defrauding dozens of shoppers and ordered to pay them practically $87,000.
Dana Chanel, whose actual title is Casey Olivera, has over 1.1 million followers on Instagram, the place she has promoted two corporations she co-owns, Credit score Exterminators (a credit score restore firm) and Alakazam Apps (an app developer).
Nonetheless, clients at each companies claimed they paid greater than $2,000 for companies they by no means acquired and, after requesting a refund, by no means acquired a refund.
Within the authentic lawsuit, which was filed in November 2021, a buyer who signed up for Credit score Exterminators claimed she was instructed the service would assist her remove delinquent credit score accounts, but it surely did not. She claimed she did not get a refund and paid the corporate greater than $2,000.
One other grievance by a nonprofit proprietor alleges she paid Chanel and Alakazam Apps over $2,000 to assist develop a customized app for her firm that by no means got here to fruition, even after making an attempt to observe up not less than 10 instances. She additionally claims she did not get a refund.
In keeping with this week’s ruling, Chanel was discovered to have “violated state client safety legal guidelines by deceptive shoppers and failing to ship bought items and companies” and is now banned from selling or promoting any credit score restore companies or cell apps.
“Promoting in at this time’s world has modified and other people belief the personalities they observe on-line to advertise fascinating items,” Pennsylvania Lawyer Common Michelle Henry stated in an announcement. “In these circumstances, shoppers had been misled by influencers and companies who didn’t make purchases. My workplace has taken a powerful stance towards the potential hurt prompted to Pennsylvanians on-line.”
Chanel can also be the founding father of Sprinkle of Jesus (a Christian cell app) and Curl Bible (a hair and skincare model).
Credit score Exterminators and Alakazam Apps are named as defendants within the lawsuit. The defendants had been ordered to pay $87,269.91 in client restitution, $31,000 in court docket prices and $6,000 in civil penalties.