The largest vender, Fluent, generates leads by advertising gift card giveaways and other sweepstakes. Fluent took the time to spin up websites it could show its client, the lobbying firm, that it was generating leads from the advocacy method. But it was actually just using names it had gotten by advertising sexual enhancement supplements and other upstanding chances to win.
"Contrary to its representations to BFA’s lobbying firm, Fluent never ran any comment solicitations on its websites, and, accordingly, never obtained anyone’s consent to submit comments to the FCC," the report says. "Instead, Fluent copied information consumers had provided when registering on one of Fluent’s websites — in some cases, months or years earlier — and passed it off as personal information entered into the comment solicitation by individuals who had agreed to participate in the campaign to repeal net neutrality rules."
How shady companies got names for fake anti-net neutrality comments
https://mashable.com/article/net-neutrality-fake-comments-isps-fraud/
