The Federal Trade Commission has filed suit against three Internet "businesses."
The third suit was filed against Hart Marketing Enterprises, Ltd., Inc., a Tampa, Florida-based firm, and its principals which promoted and sold free-standing computer kiosks with cash acceptors designed to allow customers to access the Internet from public locations such as hotels, airports or bookstores. The principals claimed that consumers who invested in the kiosks could expect earnings between $500-$700 per kiosk, per week, and that Hart would provide assistance in finding suitable, profitable locations in which to place the kiosks they had purchased by recommending "professional locators" to place the machines. Needless to say, the profits did not match reality, the locators did not locate, references were not really past investors, etc.
News releases, complaints and some other filings are available at http://www.ftc.gov/os/9803/index.htm#4 .