The FTC and Illinois allege Premium Home Service (PHS) and its owner created thousands of fake local business listings to mislead consumers seeking home repairs. The complaint claims the company used deceptive “local” advertising tactics to steer customers toward inadequate or non-delivered services.

The FTC, joined by Illinois, filed a complaint against Premium Home Service (PHS) and its owner, alleging a large-scale scheme built on fake “local” business profiles. According to the FTC’s allegations, PHS generated thousands of listings for supposed home repair companies in an effort to appear legitimate to consumers searching for nearby contractors. The complaint states the company’s conduct went beyond simple marketing—PHS allegedly fabricated details designed to mimic real local businesses and increase the likelihood that consumers would contact the listed providers. In addition to the creation of mass quantities of listings, the FTC’s and Illinois’ allegations describe downstream deception affecting consumers’ ability to obtain promised repair services. The overall theory is that the fake presence in local directories and search results effectively functioned as a fraud funnel, drawing in consumers who believed they were selecting real local contractors. The case highlights how “local” advertising fraud can spread quickly, creating broad consumer harm through misleading branding, identity misuse, and diversion of leads.