Wouldn’t you like to make as much as $10,000 in the next 30 days by becoming a power seller on Amazon?

That’s one of the promises made by two brothers who ran a website pushing products and seminars that claimed to be able to teach you to make a fortune with very little effort.

RELATED: This man paid off $50,000 of debt by reselling stuff online

Amazon, attorney general sue get rick quick e-commerce scammers

The attorney general of Washington State says in a new lawsuit that Massachusetts-based FBA Stores LLC duped unsuspecting victims into paying anywhere from $1,495 for an Amazon Riches Home Study System to “as much as $35,000 with promises of inside information on how to make money selling on Amazon.”

Oh, and did we mention that by signing up for the $1,500 home study system, users agreed to be auto-billed for an additional $40/month recurring membership fee?!

(Editor’s note: That’s just more fodder for us automatic bill pay haters here at Clark.com!)

The folks behind FBA Stores are brothers Adam and Chris Bowser.

The attorney general alleges that the brothers’ system of selling involved a whole host of bad products that would at times cause Amazon to shut down consumers’ accounts.

Separately, Amazon has also filed its own suit against the Bowser brothers.

Seminars taught bogus techniques

Even though the brothers based their business in Massachusetts, they were very active in Washington State where they held seminars in at least eight cities.

The use of multiple Amazon trademarks in presentations and promotional materials caused consumers to believe the brothers were affiliated with Amazon, though that wasn’t the case.

In fact, those seminars were used to pressure attendees to apply for financing to get started or to apply for multiple credit cards or take out mortgages on their property to cover startup costs, the lawsuit alleges.

The techniques the brothers “taught” included buying fake reviews, selling used or refurbished products as new and otherwise violating Amazon’s terms of use.

Such questionable practices would often cause the accounts of people who did what the Bowsers said to do to be shut down.

But that didn’t concern the duo; they could just pretend to ride to the rescue with a pay service they operated. This particular service asked members to fork over even more money for help in getting their account suspension lifted!

The attorney generals’ complaint asks the court to order the Bowsers and FBA Stores to cease their deceptive practices and compensate affected consumers. It also seeks penalties of up to $2,000 per violation.

Here’s the bottom line

The road to riches by selling on Amazon is a long one, and it’s not something that can be neatly taught in a hotel ballroom seminar.

In the past on Clark.com, we’ve profiled the likes of one man who spends up to 20 hours a week combing through sneaker inventory at discount stores and then reselling it online through both Amazon and eBay. By doing that, he’s managed to pay off $50,000 of debt!

In another case, we told you about a couple with a young child who replaced both of their incomes by selling on Amazon.

So it’s not that selling on Amazon or eBay can’t be a viable business that could pay you more than your day job. But the reality is this is not easy; this stuff takes hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.

If anyone tells you otherwise, just remember this: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is!

RELATED: This couple replaced both of their incomes by selling on Amazon

Amazon 101: How to reorder an item with Alexa

[anvplayer video=”4215075″ station=”998267″]