United States of America: Filed FTC lawsuit against Express Enrollment LLC and Intercontinental Solutions LLC regarding alleged fraudulent advertisement

On 14 August 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Express Enrollment LLC and Intercontinental Solutions LLC regarding alleged fraudulent advertisement practices. The companies, as per the FTC, falsely asserted an affiliation with the Department of Education and exploited the term "Biden Loan Forgiveness," leading consumers to believe it was associated with the Biden-Harris Administration's Student Loan Debt Relief Plan. The FTC accused the operators of the scheme of collecting approximately USD 8.8 million in deceptive fees in exchange for purported student loan debt relief services that were non-existent. Additionally, the companies were accused of illegally obtaining consumers' bank accounts, debit cards, or credit card information through these misrepresentations, often collecting hundreds of dollars in unlawful advance fees.