ILLINOIS - Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit Friday (December 28, 2018) against a Chicago diabetic supplies reseller and its owner who advertised online that his company would purchase unused diabetic testing supplies from consumers in Illinois and throughout the country but failed to pay people for their supplies.
Madigan filed her lawsuit Friday in Cook County Circuit Court against Surplus Diabetic Supplies LLC, operating under the name Cash Now Offer, and its owner, Jonathan Avila, for convincing consumers to send in their unused diabetic testing supplies for a certain amount, but then failed to pay consumers as promised. Madigan alleges that Cash Now Offer and Avila promised to pay consumers within 24 hours of receiving their unused diabetic testing supplies but delayed sending payment or, oftentimes, never sent any payment at all. Thousands of consumers nationwide are owed over $1 million for diabetic testing supplies they sent to Cash Now Offer.
“The defendant blatantly and brazenly deceived people through Cash Now Offer and my lawsuit will put an end to this ludicrous and harmful business in Illinois,” Madigan said.
Madigan alleges that Cash Now Offer and Avila advertised through the website cashnowoffer.com and on social media platforms. Avila and his company incentivized consumers to send their diabetic testing supplies by offering cash bonuses, referral bonuses and price matching guarantees. Madigan alleges that Avila and Cash Now Offer promised to pay consumers a certain amount for their diabetic testing supplies but that in most cases people never received any payment and their diabetic testing supplies were never returned to them. Madigan also alleges that in some instances consumers received checks that appeared to be from Avila and Cash Now Offer but were invalid and ended up bouncing.
Madigan’s office and the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois have received hundreds of complaints from consumers who were victims of Avila’s scheme. Madigan’s lawsuit seeks full restitution for people impacted by the scheme and asks the court to ban Cash Now Offer and Avila from engaging in this business in Illinois.
Assistant Attorneys General Jacob Gilbert and Andrea Law are handling the case for Madigan’s Consumer Fraud Division.