FTC Settles with Operators of Alleged Credit Repair Scheme

FTC Enforcement Credit Scores

On August 4, the FTC announced a settlement with a California-based company and its employees for allegedly violating the FTC Act and the Credit Repair Organizations Act. According to the associated complaint filed by the FTC in March 2015, the defendants operated a bogus credit repair scheme targeting Spanish-speaking consumers. The FTC alleged that the company and the four named employees deceived consumers with false representations that the company was affiliated with the FTC and false promises that they could repair consumers' credit reports and guarantee that the consumer would have a credit score of 700 or higher within six months or less for a fee of approximately $2,000. The FTC’s final orders against the individuals and the Company (i) hold the defendants jointly and severally liable for a $2.4 million monetary judgment; (ii) prohibit the defendants from selling or advertising credit repair services to consumers, and from deceiving consumers about any good or service they are selling, and (iii) bar the defendants from benefiting, through sale or otherwise, from having customers’ personal information. The final orders were approved by the Commission in a 5-0 vote and filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division on July 30 and August 3.