The federal government has ordered a chain of 31 furniture and appliance stores located near military bases to stop what it claims are misleading and deceptive sales practices, NBC.com reported yesterday. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced yesterday that it had fined USA Discounters Ltd. $50,000 for tricking thousands of military customers into paying fees for legal protections they already had and for services it did not provide. “Targeting service members with scams disguised as legal benefits is unconscionable, and we will not allow this injustice to continue,” said CFPB director Richard Cordray in a statement. The privately held company based in Norfolk, Va., was also ordered to refund more than $350,000 to military customers.
