In a significant move to protect vulnerable individuals seeking help for substance use disorders, the operators of a Florida-based treatment clinic have faced penalties for their deceptive marketing practices. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against Evoke Wellness, LLC, for using misleading Google search ads and telemarketing tactics to impersonate other treatment providers. The Deceptive Scheme According to an FTC complaint filed in January 2025, Evoke Wellness and its officers targeted people searching online for specific addiction treatment facilities. Here’s how they did it: Misleading Google Ads: Evoke bid on the names of competing treatment centers as keywords for their Google ads. This meant that when someone searched for a different clinic by name, an ad for Evoke would appear, often leading the person to believe they were clicking on a link for the clinic they were actually seeking. The ads displayed Evoke's call center phone number. Impersonatio...