WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission is mailing 3,446 checks totaling more than $830,000 to people who lost money to Centro Natural Corp and Sumore LLC, a telemarketing scheme whose operators were banned from debt collection and telemarketing under a settlement with the FTC.
According to the complaint, the defendants used international telemarketers to target Spanish-speaking consumers and demand they pay bogus debts. Callers claimed to be government officials, and threatened people who refused to pay with arrest, legal actions and immigration investigations. These telemarketers also pressured people into paying for unwanted products by telling them it would “settle” their debt, the FTC stated.
Each person who lost money to this scheme will get $240.95 back. Recipients should deposit or cash checks within 60 days, the FTC said.