Business directory scam operator convicted

A Montreal man who defrauded businesses in the United States by deceiving them into paying for business directory listings they had not ordered pleaded guilty to deceptive telemarketing, the Competition Bureau announced recently. Claude Berthiaume was sentenced to six months of house arrest followed by six months of curfew. He was also prohibited from engaging in telemarketing for 10 years.

The Bureau investigated Mr. Berthiame as part of “Operation Mirage“, a 2009 deceptive telemarketing sweep that involved investigations into 50 organizations and the execution of ten search warrants.