FTC issuing refunds to consumers affected by fraud

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Consumers may have received refund checks from several Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlements in the past month. 

GAFS Group refunds

The FTC is sending $1 million in refund checks to 1,966 consumers who may have been harmed by GAFS Group debt-collection schemes.

According to the FTC, GAFS Group operated schemes that tricked consumers into paying debts they didn’t actually owe. In some cases, GAFS allegedly threatened to sue consumers if they didn’t pay these debts. 

The debt-collection schemes were reportedly operated under a number of names, including GAFS Group, Global Mediation Group and Mediation Services.

Class members may receive a claim form to benefit from this refund. Those who receive a claim form should file a claim online or mail a completed form to the refund administrator by Sept. 18, 2022.

Consumers who receive a GAFS Group FTC refund check should cash it within 90 days. Those who receive their FTC refund as a PayPal payment should accept it within 30 days. 

Additional questions can be directed to Analytics Consulting LLC at 866-948-2713.

LendingClub refunds — second distribution

LendingClub borrowers may be able to benefit from $9.7 million in FTC refund checks if they were charged hidden fees by the lender.

In its lawsuit, the FTC accused LendingClub of charging borrowers hundreds or thousands of dollars in up-front fees despite explicitly promising ”no hidden fees.” 

According to the FTC, LendingClub intentionally misled borrowers with false promises and duped them with hidden fees.

The FTC is sending out a second round of refund checks to affected borrowers. This second distribution includes 61,990 payments totaling $9.7 million. This brings the total distribution amount to over $17.6 million.

Consumers who receive a PayPal payment should accept it within 30 days. Those who receive their FTC refund as a check should cash it within 90 days.

Additional questions can be directed to Rust Consulting Inc. at 1-833-630-1417.

Office Depot refunds — second distribution

The FTC is sending a second round of refund checks totaling $3.9 million to consumers who paid for computer repair services through Office Depot.

Office Depot allegedly conspired with Support.com, its software supplier, to show customer computers had malware or infections. When customers answered yes to one of four “diagnostic” questions, they allegedly received false positive scans. These scans were then used to sell computer repair services, the FTC claims.

In February 2020, the FTC sent nearly $30 million in refund checks to affected consumers. The agency is now sending a second round of checks totaling $3.9 million to consumers who cashed their first refund check and who paid Office Depot over $200 for computer repair services.

Consumers who receive their FTC refund as a check should cash it within 90 days.

Additional questions can be directed to Epiq Systems at 855-915-0916.

Student Advocates refunds

The FTC is sending 14,521 checks worth over $822,000 to borrowers who paid for student debt relief services through Student Advocates and Equitable Acceptance Corporation.

According to the FTC, Student Advocates and Equitable Acceptance charged illegal fees to consumers for “student debt relief” services. The companies allegedly made false promises and did not use the illegal upfront fees to pay down student loan balances. Borrowers were allegedly manipulated into high-interest loans in order to pay student debt relief fees.

Consumers who receive their FTC refund as a check should cash it within 90 days.

Additional questions can be directed to JND Legal Administration at 877-540-0989.

Kushly refunds

Consumers who purchased CBD products from Kushly Industries could benefit from nearly $21,000 in FTC refund checks.

According to the FTC, Kushly made false promises about its CBD products, claiming the products could treat common conditions, such as acne, or more serious conditions, such ascancer. Kushly allegedly claimed these uses were backed by scientific studies and research despite a lack of actual supporting evidence.

The FTC is returning nearly $21,000 to 576 consumers who were duped by these claims, with individual fraud refund payments averaging at $36.

Consumers who receive a PayPal payment should accept it within 30 days. Individuals who receive their FTC refund as a check should cash it within 90 days.

Additional questions can be directed to Analytics Consulting LLC at 866-461-4332.

FTC accepting claims for On Point Global government assistance websites refunds

Consumers can file a claim if they were duped by On Point Global’s government assistance websites.

The FTC claims that On Point Global operated over 200 websites which purported to check eligibility for government assistance programs such as food stamps and housing assistance. These websites allegedly collected people’s personal information which was sold to third parties. 

Instead of receiving actual assistance, consumers were only given PDFs about government programs, the FTC contends.

The FTC won $102 million at trial, which is now being used to refund customers for their On Point Global website experiences.

Individuals whose information was collected by On Point Global need to file a claim form by Oct. 18, 2022. Consumers can receive their FTC refund as a Venmo payment, PayPal payment or check.

Additional questions can be directed to the refund administrator at 866-223-6288.

On Point Global DMV website fraud FTC refunds

Consumers can benefit from another FTC judgment against On Point Global, this time for fraudulent DMV websites.

Similar to its government assistance websites, On Point Global allegedly operated fake DMV websites which duped consumers into paying for PDFs about the license renewal programs. According to the FTC, these websites tricked consumers into believing that they were actually paying to renew their licenses.

Consumers can receive an FTC refund from a $85 million judgment against On Point Global.

To receive a payment, consumers must submit a valid claim form by Oct. 18, 2022. Consumers can receive their FTC refund as a Venmo payment, PayPal payment or check.

Additional questions can be directed to the refund administrator at 866-223-6288.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• FTC issues refund checks to victims of fraud, other scams
• Next-Gen sweepstakes scam $30M FTC settlement
• FTC cracks down on medical, location data privacy
• PPE company sued by FTC over ‘Made in USA’ claims