FTC Refunds | June 2021

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued consumer refunds related to five cases in June.

Student Debt Relief Group FTC Refunds

More than 6,000 people who lost money in a debt-relief scheme will receive FTC refunds.

The scheme used a number of business names, including Student Debt Relief Group, SDRG, Student Loan Relief Counselors, SLRC, StuDebt, and Capital Advocates Group, and tricked people into thinking the businesses were affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education.

They then illegally charged upfront fees for free government programs and collected fees they falsely claimed would go toward student loans.

The FTC issued PayPal payments in February 2021, but is now mailing checks to consumers who did not claim their PayPal payment.

Questions about this refund should be directed to the refund administrator, JND Legal Administration, at 1-833-961-3421.

Progressive Leasing FTC Refunds

Two million people who paid for furniture, cellphones, jewelry, and other items through Progressive Leasing rent-to-own plans will be receiving FTC refunds.

According to the FTC, Progressive Leasing misled shoppers with its advertisements of “no interest” payment plans, leading consumers to believe they would pay “same as cash” prices.

However, these people ended up paying more than sticker price — often double — if they made all scheduled payments.

Progressive Leasing offers rent-to-own plans through more than 24,000 online and brick-and-mortar retail outlets, including:

• Big Lots Inc.
• Mattress Firm
• Cricket Wireless
• Conn’s Corporate
• Kay Jewelers
• Art Van Furniture
• Best Buy
• Zales Jewelers

Anyone with questions regarding this refund should contact Rust Consulting at 1-877-625-9449.

Career Education Corporation FTC Refunds

The FTC has also issued refunds totaling more than $30 million to more than 8,000 individuals thanks to a settlement with Career Education Corp.

Career Education Corp., which operated American InterContinental University, Colorado Technical University, and Sanford-Brown, bought sales leads from companies that used deceptive websites in order to collect people’s contact information.

The FTC said the sites claimed to offer assistance with finding jobs, military enlistment, and accessing government benefits; however, Career Education Corp. used the data collected to make sales calls marketing its schools.

The FTC does not issue Form 1099s or other tax forms; those who have tax-related questions should contact their tax adviser.

Questions regarding the refunds may be directed to JND Legal Administration at 1-833-916-3603.

SLAC FTC Refunds

More than 10,000 people who lost money in a student debt-relief scheme will be receiving payments totaling more than $316,000.

The defendants — SLAC (also known as Aspyre), Navloan, and Student Loan Assistance Center — allegedly falsely told consumers they could permanently lower or eliminate their student loan debt for an upfront fee of $699 and a monthly fee of $39.

However, those payments could change every year, and debt forgiveness was not guaranteed for anyone.

Those with questions about this refund should contact settlement administrator Analytics Consulting at 1-888-440-0371.

A1 DocPrep FTC Refunds

More than $223,000 is being returned to consumers who were illegally charged upfront fees for debt relief and previously filed a report about the fees with law enforcement.

A1 Doc Prep Inc. and other defendants allegedly collected the illegal fees and promised to lower student loan payments and forgive student loan debt. They also allegedly promised homeowners they could negotiate mortgage modifications and prevent home foreclosures.

The defendants operated using several business names, including:

• A1 DocPrep
• Project Uplift Students
• Home Shield Network
• Stream Lined Marketing
• Project Uplift America
• Keep Your Home USA
• Bloom Law Group PC

Questions regarding this settlement should be directed to Analytics Consulting at 1-844-695-0454.

Claims Period Still Open for MoneyGram FTC Refunds

Consumers who used MoneyGram to send money to a scammer between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2017, should have received a pre-filled claim form enabling them to file a petition for remission in a settlement.

Consumers have until Aug. 31, 2021, to file their claim.

In 2009, MoneyGram and the FTC reached an agreement regarding changes intended to make it more difficult for scammers to use the money transfer service to defraud people.

For more information on this case and learn how to file a claim, click here.

Anyone with questions about the MoneyGram remission settlement should contact administrator Gilardi & Co. at 844-269-2630.

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