On May 1, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it had filed an amended complaint and entered into a proposed final order with a debt collector and its owner, resolving allegations that the company engaged in a fraudulent debt collection scheme.
In its amended complaint, the FTC alleged that the debt collector used threats of arrest, lawsuits, wage garnishment, unlawful third-party communications, and repeated communications, to coerce consumers into paying debts they did not owe, in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the FTC Act.
The FTC also alleged that the debt collector violated the FTC’s Impersonation Rule by falsely claiming affiliation with specific lenders to deceive consumers into paying. The FTC further alleged that the debt collector failed to identify itself as a debt collector and unlawfully obtained consumers’ financial information in violation of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. In November 2024, the FTC obtained a temporary restraining order against the company.
Under the proposed order, the debt collector and its owner will no longer participate in the debt collection and debt brokering industries and will pay a monetary judgment of $9,684,338.
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