The state of Washington announced last month that it would be shutting down a controversial pay-for-prayer website called Christian Prayer Center, after the site’s owner was ordered to pay up to $7.78 million to consumers in restitution fees. Attorney General Bob Ferguson said that Seattle-based businessman, Benjamin Rogovy, was responsible for paying millions of dollars to approximately 165,000 consumers of three businesses that violated state consumer laws.
One of the three businesses included a for-profit website called Christian Prayer Center that promised visitors their prayer requests would be circulated among thousands in an Internet-wide prayer circle.
“Local churches and small group prayer lists have been a wonderful way to share the blessings of prayer, but these methods are limited in their ability to rally the true power of thousands of voices all praying in agreement. The Internet has enabled us to build a massive congregation to lift your prayer requests to a whole new level,” Christian Prayer Center’s website stated previously.
According to Ferguson’s office, Christian Prayer Center made use of systematic deception by falsifying consumer testimonials and reviews from fraudulent religious leaders, thereby violating Washington’s Charitable Solicitations Act as well as Consumer Protection Act. The state also found that Rogovy had used systematic deception for a second website called Consumer Complaint Agency, which deceitfully promised to back consumers who wrote poor reviews for local businesses. Rogovy would now also have to pay restitution fees to consumers of Orcion Christina, a sister website of Christian Prayer Center.
Ferguson said in a statement, “While I believe in the power of prayer, I do not believe in and what I will not tolerate is unlawful businesses that prey upon people — taking advantage of their faith or their need for help — in order to make a quick buck.”
The website for Christian Prayer Center, which ran from 2011 to 2016, was found to be defunct last month.
“We thank you for all the prayers, and we cherish the opportunity to have created a place where Christians could meet to support each other,” read a brief message on the website.
Now, the website offers links to other prayer sites, clarifying that it does not share an affiliation with any of them.
Action was taken against Christian Prayer Center after consumers started to flag the distrustful pay-for-prayer website, penning negative reviews on Facebook and Washington’s Better Business Bureau and calling on fellow Christians to be wary of a potential scam.
One of Rogovy’s consumers had written on BBB for Washington, Oregon and Alaska, “It feels like the website was deceptive in automatically enrolling me into a monthly contract without stating that up front. So I don't believe it is a legit prayer site. … If this was a real prayer center they would not have a problem with a refund just to show their sincerity of their mission. But I believe this guy's mission is to rip people off.”
Complaints against the website typically surfaced at the time of billing, with many consumers arguing that they were being enrolled automatically by monthly payments despite wanting to make a one-time prayer request.
Photo Credits: Freethinker
