Firms Settle International Permit Fraud Case
Two companies that offered phony "international driver's licenses" agreed to a permanent ban from marketing such documents to settle a federal complaint, the Federal Trade Commission said yesterday.Jaguar Business Concepts, which operated Libertymall.com, and its partner Cheyenne Investment Alliance, paid no money as part of the settlement, though the FTC warned it could reopen the case if their financial status proved to have been misstated. They were among several charged in a January sweep of companies marketing international driver's licenses.
According to the FTC, companies caught in the sweep marketed the documents via e-mail and Web sites and claimed the licenses were valid in most parts of the world, including the United States, due to a loophole. The businesses sold the licenses for as little as $65, as was the case for Libertymall, and for as much as $375, according to the FTC.
But international driver's licenses are valid only with a state-issued driver's license and used mainly by travelers who drive abroad, according to the FTC. They are available only from the American Automobile Association and the American Automobile Touring Alliance for as little as $10.
