EDP's prepaid Johnny Cash
debit card

The Federal Trade Commission has settled a case against a cadre of marketers targeting "subprime consumers," reports ClickZ.

EDP Technologies Corporation and others must pay $2.2 million in consumer restitution.

The defendants used affiliate marketing programs to build leads and promoted prepaid bank-issued debit cards on websites, pop-ups and emails. They often charged hefty fees without authorization and hocked unrelated short-term loans on sites like SuperAutoSource.com.

Online lead generation remains a delicate business, mainly because the mainstream consumer internet industry is so young that ethical standards for collecting information and money continue to evolve.

Until rules of engagement are firmly set, the FTC has taken it upon itself to regulate the industry. Lead gen firm Adteractive, for example, coughed up $650,000 to the FTC in civil penalties in November 2007.