Fake training ceased

The Texas Attorney General has secured a temporary restraining order against a business in Houston allegedly selling fake forklift training services. The court ordered an injunction preventing the business practices of Southwest Forklift LLC, and froze its assets up to $350,000, on claims the proprietors are operating a deceptive trade.

According to court filing, Southwest Forklift operators Sergio Hernandez and Roxanne Rodriguez purported to offer $80 one-day training to become qualified as an “OSHA-certified” forklift operator, guaranteeing job placement upon completion. Consumer complaints and the evidence revealed Southwest Forklift posed as the potential employers and posted phony job opportunities in order to induce consumers to purchase the company’s training, the AG’s officer further alleged.

Complaints to the Better Business Bureau go back years, with several complainants in 2019 noting the same allegations charged by the Texas AG.