AMP Alarm, EMT Medical accused of preying on seniors

The Minnesota Attorney General took legal action against two separate companies in Arizona and Utah for consumer fraud against senior citizens in the state, both for allegedly using high-pressure tactics.

The first lawsuit alleges Orem, Utah-based AMP Alarm 's unsolicited sales calls for security alarms and long-term monitoring agreements violated the Minnesota Personal Solicitation Sales Act. Salespeople must disclose their name, the company they represent, the product they are selling and be clear they are selling a product, according to that law.

One of AMP's tactics, the lawsuit alleged, included describing the alarm as "free" without mentioning a required long-term contract to receive the hardware. This agreement locked consumers into five-year contracts which required 80% of future payments to be paid if canceled after more than three days, which the company apparently failed to tell consumers.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's "Cooling-Off Rule" provides the purchaser three days to cancel an at-home sale of more than $25.