Washington, D.C. – The Direct Selling Association (DSA) has issued the following statement in response to the August 5, 2008, complaint filed by the California Attorney General’s Office in Los Angeles Superior Court against YourTravelBiz.com, a subsidiary of DSA member YTB International, Inc. (YTB):

“DSA maintains a rigorous Code of Ethics that provides both independent sales representatives and consumers with the opportunity to file complaints with the independent DSA Code Administrator. The DSA Code of Ethics prohibits pyramid schemes, unsubstantiated earnings claims and unfair or deceptive sales and recruiting practices. As is the case with any DSA member company, YTB distributors and customers who feel they have been treated unfairly are invited to file a complaint under DSA’s Code of Ethics.

“Although the allegations made by the California Attorney General against YourTravelBiz.com are unproven, DSA takes any allegations of this kind seriously and has set in motion the standard procedures it follows when a member company is accused of possible violations of the DSA Code of Ethics. Specifically, DSA is:

• Seeking additional information about the complaint and the allegations from both the California Attorney General and YTB.
• Advising the independent DSA Code Administrator of these developments and forwarding any additional information DSA receives.
• Evaluating the materials related to this case and will take further action as appropriate.
• Closely monitoring the situation and keeping the Code Administrator and other DSA members apprised of related news and developments.

“Information on the Code of Ethics, the complaint process and penalties for violation can be found on the DSA Web site at www.dsa.org.”

About DSA
The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers through an independent contractor salesforce. More than 300 companies are members of the association, including many well-known brand names. In 2007, sales in the United States through direct selling were $30.8 billion via more than 15 million independent sellers.