A company based in Westchester, about two miles from La Grange, is accused of flooding Google with more than 15,000 fake business profiles for plumbers, electricians, and garage door repair companies that didn't actually exist.

The U.S. Department of Justice and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a civil complaint Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against B.E.S.T. GDR, LLC, which operates as Premium Home Service, and its founder and CEO, Yosef Bernath.

The scheme worked like this, according to the complaint: Starting in 2021, the company created fake Google Search and Maps listings using made-up business names, addresses belonging to unrelated businesses, and local phone numbers that actually routed to a call center abroad. The profiles featured fabricated reviews and photos stolen from unrelated websites' staff directories.

When customers called expecting a local contractor, the company collected fees and dispatched third-party workers who, according to the complaint, often lacked proper qualifications, performed substandard work, arrived late, or never showed up at all.

The DOJ acted on a referral from the Federal Trade Commission. The complaint alleges violations of the FTC Act, the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act for obtaining consumer financial information under false pretenses.

The case is civil, not criminal. No next court date has been set.