Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, CONSUMER PROTECTION NEWS: FTC returns money to online payday loan applicants whose bank accounts were debited without their consent, (Sep 18, 2015)

By Michael Menzhuber, J.D., LL.M.

A total of 64,607 checks, of over $1.5 million, will be mailed to consumers who lost money to an online operation that illegally debited their bank accounts when they sought payday loans, the FTC announced today.

This action follows a federal court ruling in favor of the FTC in its case against Direct Benefits Group LLC, Voice Net Global LLC, Solid Core Solutions Inc., WKMS Inc., Kyle Wood, and Mark Berry, whose operations have been halted by the court. The FTC’s complaint alleged that the defendants’ websites failed to disclose that they would use consumers’ bank account information to charge them for enrollment in unwanted programs and services.

Consumers who receive checks and have questions can contact the FTC’s refund administrator Gilardi & Co., LLC at 1-877-255-2804. More information about the FTC’s refund program is available on the FTC’s website.

News: ConsumerProtection FederalTradeCommissionNews