Banned Debt Collectors Federal Trade Commission

See all the debt collection cases brought by the FTC, including those that didn’t result in a ban. Click “View case” for information about the lawsuit that resulted in the ban, including press releases and links to the legal complaints. The confirmation page provides a phone number and engagement number to get free help with identity restoration. The settlement administrator has been sending out payments for out-of-pocket losses, time spent claims, and other cash benefits. The FTC OIG investigates allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct involving the programs and operations of the FTC.

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The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. While the FTC does not intervene in individual complaints, Sentinel reports are a vital part of the agency’s law enforcement mission. The Commission monitors these trends carefully and takes a comprehensive approach to detect, halt, and deter consumer fraud. “The FTC is monitoring those trends closely and working hard to protect the American people from fraud.” “The data we’re releasing today shows that scammers’ tactics are constantly evolving,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. The .gov means it’s official.

FTC Halts Illegal Debt-Relief Operation that Falsely Impersonated Businesses and the Government, Harming Consumers

• An official website of the United States government
• See all the debt collection cases brought by the FTC, including those that didn’t result in a ban.
• These reports are a vital part of the agency’s law enforcement mission and also help the FTC to warn consumers about fraud trends in the data.
• Reports show that when people think they are fixing a problem rather than sending a stranger money, their losses are often limited only by their available funds.

For the second consecutive year, email was the most common way that consumers reported being contacted by scammers. The FTC received fraud reports from 2.6 million consumers last year, nearly the same amount as 2023. Consumers reported losing more money to investment scams—$5.7 billion—than any other category in 2024.

Paying to get paid: gamified job scams drive record losses

Online shopping issues were the second most commonly reported in the fraud category. Losses to government imposter scams in particular increased $171 million from 2023 to a total of $789 million in 2024. And now it’s a lot easier to report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Your tool for financial readiness

Every time you file a report with the Federal Trade Commission you are helping us build cases, stop scammers, and also alert others about the current trends. Only scammers say they can get you special access or a guaranteed refund. If you get a call from someone who claims to be from the FTC, it’s a scam.

Bitcoin ATMs: A payment portal for scammers

You’ll get your report number and also tips on what to do next. When did you most recently pay or send money? How did you pay or send the money? Did you send the scammer payment of any kind? In my case it was a tech support scam.

Avast Settlement

Lots of scams are now carried out online, but these scams still depend on a phone call. They may say this will keep your money safe, secure your identity, clear your name, or help catch the criminals. These scammers say the only way out of the (fake) crisis is to follow their instructions – which will include sending money to the scammers. Reports to the FTC show a growing wave of scams aimed squarely at retirees’ life savings. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.

The FTC never asks you to pay money to get a refund. The FTC is using that money to send payments to people who filed a valid claim before the deadline. An official website of the United States etoro government The Commission will continue to stop such illegal and unethical conduct.”

Banned Debt Collectors

According to the FTC’s data book, this number is not driven by an increase in fraud reports, which remained stable. You can report any scam, fraud or bad business practice you’ve spotted. The first thing that you do to report a scam or a bad business practice is go to the website, ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and you click on the “Report Now” button. And today I’m going to tell you how to report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. “The defendants falsely posed as consumers’ banks and credit bureaus to mislead them into paying thousands of dollars for their supposed debt relief services,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The complaint also alleges the defendants violated Section 521 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act by making false statements to get consumers’ financial account numbers. The defendants contacted consumers through telemarketing calls or in response to inbound calls resulting from their direct mail and online ads. Another consumer, a retired, disabled veteran, was forced to use his savings and retirement funds to repay the increased debt that he incurred as a result of the defendants’ actions and their unlawful advance fee of nearly $10,000. For example, in papers filed along with the complaint, the FTC noted that one consumer, an Army veteran, was $13,000 deeper in debt and saw his credit score plummet from the high 700s to the 500s because of the defendants’ actions.

• “The FTC is monitoring those trends closely and working hard to protect the American people from fraud.”
• While the FTC does not intervene in individual complaints, Sentinel reports are a vital part of the agency’s law enforcement mission.
• And don’t give personal information to anyone who contacts you promising a refund.
• The results showed people most often worried about being a victim of identity theft.
• How did you pay or send the money?

These reports are a vital part of the agency’s law enforcement mission and also help the FTC to warn consumers about fraud trends in the data. The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network is a database that receives reports directly from consumers, as well as from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the Better Business Bureau, industry members, and non-profit organizations. Instead, the percentage of people who reported losing money to a fraud or scam increased by double digits.

More Information About the Settlement

To spot and avoid scams – and learn how to recover money if you paid a scammer – visit ftc.gov/scams. From 2020 to 2024, the number of reports from older adults who lost $10,000 or more to these scams increased more than fourfold. And, in an ironic twist, recent scams use fake security alerts and other false alarms to prey on older adults’ vigilance about protecting their money and identity to steal from them.

Equifax Data Breach Settlement

The FTC will never ask you to pay to get a refund. You don’t need to contact the FTC to receive a refund. Please accept your refund within 15 days. You can get your refund by PayPal or Venmo. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. You can find answers to common questions about FTC refund payments on our FAQ page.

Thanks for watching – and thanks for reporting fraud. That’s how easy it is to report fraud. How much money did you pay the scammer in total – I’m going to say 99 dollars. Today I’m going to report an impersonator scam.

In 2024, losses to business imposter and government imposter scams of $10,000 and over were more than twice as likely to be reported by older adults, with losses over $100,000 three times as likely to be reported by older adults. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. In 2024, consumers reported losing more money to scams where they paid with bank transfers or cryptocurrency than all other payment methods combined.

The settlement administrator continues to review and issue benefits for identity theft and fraud claims related to the breach. The settlement includes up to $425 million to help people affected by the data breach. In September of 2017, Equifax announced a data breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people.