Online retailer agrees to 10-year ban after scamming seniors, disabled people

June 3, 2024 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Keith Ellison today announced he has reached a settlement with The Wireless Shop LLC d/b/a Upright Cane and its owner Caelan Nwokeuku (collectively, “Upright Cane”) over Upright Cane’s deceptive and misleading conduct in advertising and selling walkers and scooters to seniors and disabled people in Minnesota that it failed to deliver. Upright Cane has agreed to a 10-year ban on selling goods and services in Minnesota and will pay $50,000 to the Attorney General’s Office that the Office will use to restitute victims for the money they spent on products Upright Cane did not deliver.

In its investigation, Attorney General Ellison’s Office found that Upright Cane, an online retailer, failed to deliver a single walker or scooter to any senior Minnesotan who ordered one. The Attorney General also received reports from consumers, mostly seniors, that Upright Cane challenged consumers’ attempts to perform credit card chargebacks by providing credit card companies with falsified evidence of shipment of a walker or scooter, even as Upright Cane knew it had never ordered or manufactured a single walker or scooter to deliver. Seniors often told Attorney General investigators that they had placed an order with the company because its products appeared to be the cheapest they could find. Upright Cane specifically targeted the elderly and disabled in its scam, and most of the Minnesotans impacted live in Greater Minnesota.

“Upright Cane’s scams targeting elderly and disabled Minnesotans seeking affordable mobility devices are despicable,” Attorney General Ellison said. “I am committed to using every tool at my disposal to stop scammers like this in their tracks and protect the people of Minnesota. Everyone in this state should be able to afford their lives with dignity, and not be afraid they’re about to be scammed by buying necessary medical equipment. If you’re even thinking about scamming Minnesota seniors, know that I will come after you.”

The Attorney General’s Office has been and will continue reaching out to harmed consumers directly to facilitate providing them with full refunds and restitution as a result of the settlement.

If you have had a problem with an online retailer failing to deliver products you have ordered, please file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office via its online complaint form. You can also contact the Office by phone at (651) 296-3353 from within the Twin Cities or (800) 657-3787 from Greater Minnesota.