FTC Halts Growth Cave’s Business Opportunity and Credit Repair Scam //
A federal court has temporarily halted the operations of Growth Cave, a business opportunity and credit repair scam that has operated since at least 2020.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint against Growth Cave and its owners—Lucas Lee-Tyson (“Lee-Tyson”), Osmany Batte, a/k/a Ozzie Blessed (“Batte”), and Jordan Marksberry—alleging that the operation took approximately $50 million from consumers using false promises of substantial income.
False Promises and Misleading Marketing
According to the FTC, Growth Cave promoted its primary scheme, known as the Knowledge Business Accelerator (“KBA”), through YouTube ads, which claimed consumers could earn $20,000 to $50,000 in passive income by developing and marketing a so-called “digital education program.”
In videos cited in the complaint, Lee-Tyson guaranteed to consumers that “It is literally IMPOSSIBLE to fail…”
Lee-Tyson portrayed himself as a marketing expert and self-made millionaire, while Batte implied his role included fixing negative “mindsets” and referenced his certification in hypnosis.
According to the complaint, consumers who reached out for more information were subjected to email marketing reinforcing deceptive claims and were urged to schedule a “strategy call” with a Growth Cave employee.
Growth Cave employees allegedly promised consumers would start making money within four to six weeks and offered a $10,000 profit guarantee that they were told would ensure they recouped the money they spent to buy the KBA business opportunity.
Expensive Upgrades with No Returns
Consumers paid thousands of dollars for the KBA program, but soon discovered Growth Cave’s promises were empty. Many reported difficulties reaching Growth Cave employees and obtaining assistance.
Instead of developing customized advertisements, Growth Cave, allegedly, provided generic scripts that required significant revision before they could be used. Even after fulfilling previously undisclosed requirements to launch their courses, many consumers reported they were unable to earn the promised income.
Growth Cave also, according to the FTC, sold an “upgraded” version of KBA, called Digital Freedom Mastermind (“DFM”) for an additional $30,000 to $50,000 in which all the work to create an educational course was supposedly completed by Growth Cave on consumers’ behalf. Consumers who purchased this supposed upgrade reported that the promised services never materialized.
According to the complaint, in most cases, KBA purchasers, including those who paid for the DFM upsell, did not make a single sale and, therefore, did not earn any income. Instead, they found themselves owing thousands of dollars to Growth Cave, credit card companies, or third-party lenders, prompting numerous consumer complaints.
Additional Business Opportunity Scams
Growth Cave also operated the Cashflow Consultant Academy (“CCA”), which claimed to teach purchasers to close new sales for “wealthy business owners” to generate significant monthly income.
Allegedly, those endorsing the program in video advertisements talking about their own successes were Growth Cave employees, which was never disclosed.
Consumers who paid as much as $6,800 for the CCA program often reported never being placed with a client, and in rare cases where they were, the client was another consumer caught up in Growth Cave’s KBA scheme. Most CCA purchasers never earned any income or profit.
In 2023, Growth Cave launched Buffalo Bridge, a credit repair operation targeting consumers who had already purchased its other bogus schemes. Buffalo Bridge claimed to provide credit repair services and 0% interest business loans, but it merely signed consumers up for multiple business credit cards. Growth Cave, allegedly, charged $6,800 unlawfully upfront for this supposed service.
Continued Operations Under New Names
Despite facing multiple private lawsuits from consumers, allegedly, Lee-Tyson and Batte continued launching new business opportunity schemes.
After announcing a “rebrand” in March 2024, Lee-Tyson began selling PassiveApps, a supposed AI-fueled program, which, allegedly, followed the same blueprint as KBA, with supposed full-service upgrades available for thousands of dollars.
Allegedly, Lee-Tyson even deceptively re-used the exact same “testimonials” provided by KBA purchasers to advertise PassiveApps.
Additionally, Batte began promoting ApexMind, a program similar to CCA, using many of the same deceptive tactics, including the prior bogus testimonials, according to the complaint.
The FTC’s complaint charges Growth Cave and its operators with violating the FTC Act, the Business Opportunity Rule, the Credit Repair Organizations Act, and the Reviews and Testimonials Rule.
Source: FTC.gov
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