The Federal Trade Commission will send payments totaling nearly USD 1.9 million to consumers and clients who were harmed by fake rental ads and deceptive promises of free credit reports from Credit Bureau Center LLC.
In a lawsuit announced back in 2017, the FTC alleged that the Credit Bureau Center impersonated property owners and offered tours for properties they were not authorized to offer for rent, offering them to consumers only if they first obtained credit reports and scores from their websites. These sites claimed to provide free credit reports and scores but then enrolled consumers in a credit monitoring service with monthly charges of USD 29.94. At the time, multiple individuals didn’t realize they were enrolled until they noticed unexpected charges on their bank or credit card statements, sometimes after several billing cycles.
Later in June 2018, a federal judge ordered the Credit Bureau Center to pay money for violating Section 13(b) of the FTC Act, an award which was vacated in April 2021 when the Supreme Court ruled that the Commission cannot seek monetary relief under Section 13(b). Because of that ruling, the Commission lost its strongest tool for returning money to consumers. In September 2021, the judge in this case found that the Credit Bureau Center also violated Section 19 of the FTC Act and reimposed the award. Through this initiative, the defendants lost on appeal, and the lawsuit was resolved in June 2024.
The FTC is currently sending checks to the 42.849 affected consumers and clients. Recipients will be required to cash their checks within 90 days, as indicated on the check.
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