Key facts
- The FTC has sued Genesis Tech for allegedly defrauding consumers through a network of apps.
- The company allegedly used shell companies in Cyprus and Ukraine to hide its identity and assets.
- Genesis Tech's apps included fitness, PDF, fashion, and horoscope applications.
- The lawsuit claims the company made it easy to sign up for subscriptions but difficult to cancel.
- Consumers were allegedly charged for unauthorized subscriptions and extra products.
- The practices are alleged to violate the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA).
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit alleging that Genesis Tech, a company operating through a network of subsidiaries in Cyprus and Ukraine, defrauded consumers via its app offerings. The suit claims these companies marketed fitness, PDF, fashion, and horoscope applications to U.S. consumers, making it easy to sign up for subscriptions but difficult to cancel.
According to the FTC, Genesis Tech and its affiliates generated nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in global revenue from early 2023 to mid-2025. Furthermore, transactions through the company's connected PayPal accounts exceeded $700 million in the 12 months leading up to September 2025. The lawsuit details how the company allegedly created new corporate entities and multiple merchant accounts, transferring funds across borders to evade fraud monitoring programs for years.
Consumers who subscribed to Genesis Tech's apps, often promoted as free or low-cost, were reportedly met with auto-renewing subscriptions. The company is also accused of charging customers for additional products without consent or double-charging them. The FTC asserts that these practices violate the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA). Several individuals, including Stamatis Skianis, Oksana Kucher, Iryna Oleksyn, Olga Garbuzenko, Rostyslav Ivanitsa, and Viktoriia Savchuk, are named as co-defendants.
The case highlights a significant challenge for app store operators like Apple and Google, as scam networks evolve into complex, international operations. Genesis Tech's alleged use of shell companies and cross-border money transfers allowed it to bypass fraud detection systems. The FTC has previously pursued legal action against other mobile app makers and related companies.