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The Federal Trade Commission will return almost $20 million to more than 145,000 consumers across the country who were victimized by One Technologies LP and its two partner companies, in an online scheme that lured consumers with “free” access to their credit scores and then billed them a recurring $29.95 monthly fee for credit monitoring they never ordered.

 “It’s our goal whenever possible to put money back in the hands of hard-working American consumers who have been victimized,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. “We are pleased to announce that $20 million in refunds are going to back to consumers this week.”

The FTC and the states of Illinois and Ohio secured the consumer redress as part of a settlement of charges against One Technologies in January 2014. The defendants marketed their credit monitoring programs, MyCreditHealth and ScoreSense, through at least 50 websites, including FreeScore360.com, FreeScoreOnline.com, and ScoreSense.com. According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants bought advertising on search engines such as Google and Bing so that ads for their websites neared the top of search results when consumers looked for terms such as “free credit report.” The most prominent ad stated, “View your latest Credit Scores from All 3 Bureaus in 60 seconds for $0!” 

The FTC alleged that the defendants violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA), which prohibits charging consumers for goods or services sold online via a negative option unless the seller clearly discloses all material terms before obtaining the consumer’s billing information, obtains the consumer’s express informed consent before making the charge, and provides a simple way to stop recurring charges. They were also charged with violating the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act.

The amount of each check that will be mailed to affected consumers will vary based on how much each person lost. People who receive checks should deposit or cash them within 60 days. The FTC never requires consumers to pay money or to provide account information to cash refund checks.
For consumers considering a credit report or credit score service, here are a few things to consider:

Learn more about the refund program at ftc.gov/refunds or by calling the FTC’s refund administrator, Analytics, at 844-828-4441.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.