Feds Shut Down Supposed Debt Relief Company

FDA Solutions claimed it could slice debt by 40 to 60%

The Federal Trade Commission has put a stop to the allegedly deceptive practices of a debt settlement operation that lured consumers with exaggerated claims about how it could help reduce their debts. The defendants behind the operation have agreed to a settlement that prohibits them from making any further misleading claims.

The FTC case against FDN Solutions, LLC and Timothy Daniels is part of the agency's continuing crackdown on scams that target consumers in financial distress. The defendants claimed, mostly through Google ads and websites they used, such as everestdebtsolutions.com, 1800debtsettlement.com, and everestdebtrelief.com, that they could reduce consumers' debts, typically by 40 percent to 60 percent, according to the FTC complaint.

However, the FTC charged that these savings claims were misleading, because they did not take into account the consumers who dropped out of the program, or the fact that the fees each client paid totaled 30 percent of the savings achieved.

The settlement order imposes a judgment of $3.3 million but because they say they have no money, the defendants will pay only $85,000. If it is later determined that the financial information the defendants provided the FTC was false, the full amount of the judgment will become due.

Operating from offices in Tustin, California and Tampa, Florida, Daniels and FDN Solutions used paid search results on Google's search engine and Google ads on third-party websites to advertise their services, telling consumers, "Reduce Debt 70% Want Proof?" and "Save up to 70% On Credit Card Debt," according to the complaint.

A bar chart on one of the defendants' websites showed that a consumer with a $40,000 debt would pay only $22,000 by using the defendants' services.

Unsupported claims

The FTC alleged that Daniels and his company, also doing business as Everest Debt Solutions, 1800debtsettlement.com, and everestdebtrelief.com, violated the Federal Trade Commission Act by making unsupported savings claims and by using a fake consumer testimonial. One supposed testimonial attributed to "Alicia S., Lake Charles, LA" said, "Everest Debt Solutions was able to drop my credit card debt down 62%! They are truly a Godsend! God Bless."

The defendants' websites provided consumers with toll-free numbers they could call for more information. When they called, the defendants violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule by misrepresenting the amount of money or the percentage of the debt amount that a consumer could save by using their services, according to the complaint.

Consumers beware

Consumers looking for help with credit card debt should be wary of anyone who tells them to stop paying their bills, to pay someone other than their creditors, or to stop talking to their creditors.

Consumers also should be careful about paying for financial assistance before they receive it. For more information on dealing with debt, including public service announcements about avoiding debt relief scams, see the Debt Relief Services page on the FTC's Money Matters website for consumers.

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