FTC Sues Payment Processor for Assisting Allegedly Fraudulent Credit Card Debt Relief Operation

FTC Payment Systems Enforcement

On June 5, the FTC announced that it has added a payment processor as a defendant in an existing suit against a debt relief firm that the FTC alleges operated a credit card interest rate reduction scam. The FTC claims that the debt relief firm cold-called consumers and charged them up-front fees for promises of credit card interest rate reductions that the firm never obtained. The FTC charges that the payment processor knew, or consciously avoided knowing, the supposedly illegal nature of the operation and facilitated allegedly deceptive and abusive telemarketing acts or practices in violation of the Telemarketing Sales Rule. The FTC also alleges that the processor ignored the “alarmingly high” chargeback rates.