FTC refunds | January 2025

The Federal Trade Commission sent refunds from six settlements in January, compensating consumers for fraud, false advertising and more.

Hope Services refunds

The FTC returned more than $49,000 to consumers who lost money to Hope Services or HouseHoldRelief mortgage scams.

According to the FTC, the companies behind the two mortgage schemes pretended to work with government programs to lure consumers. However, instead of providing mortgage relief as promised, the schemes allegedly stole homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments. 

A federal court found the companies violated the law and ordered them to pay money to settle the FTC’s lawsuit. Using these funds, the FTC sent 198 checks totaling more than $49,000 to affected consumers. 

Individuals who receive a refund check should cash it within 90 days.

Consumers can direct additional questions about these refunds to Analytics Consulting LLC at 855-715-2919.

Razer refunds

The FTC sent more than $1 million in refunds to individuals who purchased Zephyr masks from Razer based on false advertisements about their safety and efficacy.

The FTC filed a lawsuit against Razer claiming the company misled consumers by advertising its Zephyr face masks as N95-grade when they allegedly never received this certification. 

Razer agreed to a settlement to resolve the FTC lawsuit allegations. Using settlement funds, the agency distributed 6,764 FTC refunds worth more than $1 million to Zephyr purchasers.

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

Consumers can direct additional questions about these refunds to Simpluris at 833-285-3003.

Sales Mentor refunds

In January, the FTC mailed more than $960,000 to individuals who lost money to telemarketing training programs The Sales Mentor sold.

The Sales Mentor operated several telemarketing training programs, including Sales Closer Academy, Inbound Closer, Inbound Closer Accelerator and Sales Pro Academy. The company allegedly promised consumers they could make big money in telemarketing sales by using these programs but failed to deliver on these promises.

The Sales Mentor agreed to a settlement to resolve the lawsuit, allowing the agency to send 8,174 FTC rebates totaling more than $960,000 to affected consumers.

Consumers who receive a PayPal payment should accept it within 30 days.

Consumers can direct additional questions about these refunds to JND Legal Administration at 877-753-2846.

Acro Services refunds

The FTC returned more than $5 million to borrowers who lost money to ACRO Services’ various credit card debt relief schemes.

ACRO Services reportedly operated credit card debt relief scams that falsely promised to help wipe out or lower borrowers’ debts if they paid upfront fees, sometimes up to thousands of dollars. The schemes operated under many names, including American Consumer Rights Organization, Reliance Solutions, Thacker & Associates and Tri Star Consumer Group.

The defendants agreed to a settlement that banned them from future schemes and ordered them to pay millions. The FTC used these funds to distribute 7,687 refund checks totaling more than $5 million to affected borrowers.

Individuals who receive a refund check should cash it within 90 days.

Consumers can direct additional questions about these refunds to JND Legal Administration at 877-753-2846.

Fashion Nova settlement

The FTC sent nearly $2.4 million in payments to consumers who filed a claim for Fashion Nova products before the August 2023 deadline.

According to the FTC, Fashion Nova misled consumers by hiding thousands of negative reviews on its products. This deception allegedly tricked consumers into believing the retailer’s items had higher average star ratings than they did.

Fashion Nova agreed to a settlement to resolve the claims. Using these settlement funds, the FTC sent 148,351 refunds to consumers who made purchases before Nov. 21, 2019. To receive FTC refunds, consumers needed to submit a valid claim form with the settlement by Aug. 15, 2023.

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

Consumers can direct additional questions about these refunds to JND Legal Administration at 855-678-0018.

American Financial Benefits Center refunds

The FTC distributed a second round of refund payments to consumers who lost money to American Financial Benefits Center Refunds’ alleged student loan debt relief scheme. 

As part of the student loan debt relief scheme, American Financial Benefits Center allegedly pretended to be affiliated with the Department of Education to charge up to $800 in upfront fees and $45-$99 in monthly fees. The FTC took legal action against the company and other related defendants, resulting in bans, jail time and a monetary penalty.

Using funds from the lawsuit, the FTC sent more than $8.1 million in refunds to consumers in August 2023. With remaining funds, the FTC recently sent a second round of 16,339 payments totaling more than $870,000. The FTC sent second payments to individuals who accepted their first payments and paid more than $430 to American Financial Benefits Center.

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

Consumers can direct additional questions about these refunds to Rust Consulting Inc. at 833-579-3126.

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Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• FTC refunds | December 2024
• FTC refunds | November 2024
• FTC Refunds | September 2024
• FTC refunds | August 2024