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411 PAIN referral service hit with fine for misleading advertising

If you haven’t heard of 411 Pain, then you may be familiar with their ad.

The 411 Pain referral service tells customers they could be entitled to up to a hundred thousand dollars or more for injuries and lost wages due to car accidents, and also says customers could get more than $10,000  in personal injury protection benefits under the state’s mandatory auto insurance law.

But the Attorney General’s office says those actions violate state law.

Florida’s Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered the 411-Pain referral service to change its advertising and pay$500,000 to charity. The move is aimed at settling a lawsuit filed against the company in Broward County.   Bondi says 411-PAIN misled consumers about its services and benefits stemming from auto accidents.

Florida officials passed a law trying to crack down on PIP fraud early in the year. Insurance advocates say referral services like 411-PAIN contribute to the problem.

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Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University and Florida State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master's in Professional Communication. Lynn has been with WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She has worked with several organizations, including Kaiser Health News.  Lynn has also partnered with USC-Annenberg's Center for Child Wellbeing on the nationally acclaimed series "Committed," which explored the prevalence of involuntary commitment use on children.
She serves on the board of RTDNA and the United Way of the Big Bend, with previous service on the board of the First Amendment Foundation of Florida.

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