BOSTON (WHDH) - Attorney General Maura Healey sent a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday to a national firework retailer with locations in New Hampshire to immediately stop mailing advertisements to residents in Massachusetts where the use of fireworks is illegal under state law.
The letter alleges that Phantom Fireworks has been mailing advertisements and discount coupons to Bay State residents, highlighting the proximity of its New Hampshire stores to Boston and Springfield. The advertisements also allegedly encourage residents to celebrate the Fourth of July “in backyards across America.”
“Phantom Fireworks knows its products are illegal in Massachusetts, yet we are hearing that residents are getting their advertisements in the mail,” Healey said. “We sent a cease and desist to stop this intentional marketing scheme and prevent more of these unsafe products from being brought into our neighborhoods.”
Business cannot advertise or sell products that are unsafe and illegal, such as fireworks, under the state’s consumer protection law.
Healey encourages residents who received advertisements of this nature to file a complaint online.
This comes as Massachusetts has seen a spike in the use of fireworks, including in Boston where police say the number of calls for fireworks is up more than 5,000 percent compared to this time last year.
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