Helping America Group and its operators offered thousands of consumers false debt relief services including fake loans. These scammers encouraged consumers to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars a month. They falsely promised consumers that they would pay, settle, or obtain dismissals of their debts and improve their credit.
Consumers eventually found out that they became victims of a debt relief scam as Helping America and its interrelated companies did not pay their debt; their accounts defaulted and their credit scores did not improve, and instead were severely damaged. Some consumers ended up getting sued by their creditors and others were forced to file bankruptcy.
The federal consumer protection watchdog and the State of Florida charged Helping America, its interrelated entities and operators with violating the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
In April 2018, these scammers agreed to settle with the FTC and the State of Florida. They agreed to turn over assets worth approximately $35 million, and to stop selling debt relief, credit repair, and financial products and services. They also agreed to a telemarketing ban.
