A federal court has temporarily halted what the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes as a sprawling network of deceptive subscription schemes accused of misleading consumers with hidden fees, recurring charges, and complicated cancellation processes. The court order was issued at the FTC’s request.
According to an FTC statement, the enterprise, operated by Genesis Tech and its founder-CEOs, Vladimir Mnogoletny and Vasily Ulianov, allegedly ran a broad portfolio of misleading internet-based subscription services. The offerings ranged from an online program claiming to diagnose and treat ADHD symptoms to PDF editing tools, according to the FTC’s complaint.
The agency alleges that the defendants deceptively marketed subscriptions and charged consumers without their consent, resulting in consumers around the world being defrauded.
“The Trump-Vance FTC is engaged in robust enforcement to address deception and illegal subscription offerings,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This case illustrates the benefits and importance of the Bureau’s reinvigorated anti-fraud program.”
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According to TechCrunch, Genesis Tech’s network allegedly included a series of subsidiaries incorporated in Cyprus and operating in Ukraine, which marketed its apps to U.S. consumers. The brand includes fitness and nutrition apps MadMuscles, Harna, and Unimeal by Amo Apps Limited; PDF Guru and PDF Master from GuruDocs Limited; fashion app Lumi from Bramol Limited; horoscope app Nebula by Obrio Limited; habit and personal productivity apps under the brand Wisey by Koflimin Limited; and others. From early 2023 to mid-2025, these five companies’ product offerings accounted for nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in global revenue.
The lawsuit also mentions that in the 12 months ending in September 2025, the transactions through all the company’s connected PayPal accounts totaled nearly $700 million.
The case highlights a significant for Apple and Google as subscription scams evolve beyond individual apps into intricate networks of shell companies. Genesis Tech, for instance, registered new corporate entities and created multiple merchant accounts to hide its identity, according to the lawsuit. The company would then transfer the money it made across borders among its various corporate affiliates.
According to the FTC, by continually making new accounts, the app publisher was able to avoid fraud monitoring programs for years.
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Like several other apps that have drawn scrutiny from regulators and consumer advocates, Genesis Tech’s products made it easy to sign up but hard to cancel. While the company promoted its products as free or low-cost, consumers who signed up would instead be met with auto-renewing subscriptions. At times, the company would also charge customers for extra products without their knowledge or consent or even double-charge them.
The lawsuit also mentions that the company made canceling subscriptions difficult by omitting cancellation options from its websites and apps, and would often continue charging customers without authorization.
Genesis Tech’s practices reportedly violate the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA), the complaint notes. It also names Stamatis Skianis, Oksana Kucher, Iryna Oleksyn, Olga Garbuzenko, Rostyslav Ivanitsa, and Viktoriia Savchuk as co-defendants in the case, which will be tried in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.