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If you made payments to Ameritech for what you thought was your student loan, you may be getting a refund soon. Today, the FTC and DOJ are sending more than $9 million in refunds to people who lost money to this scheme. Think you might be eligible? Read on for information on what to do.

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Did you hire Ameritech for help with your student loans? Watch out for a refund soon. ftc.gov/refunds

Ameritech employees tricked people into thinking they qualified for federal student loan and forgiveness programs. In reality, the illegal up-front fees (up to $800) and monthly fees ($49-99) that they charged — that were supposed to pay down student loan balances — instead went straight into Ameritech’s pockets.

More than 22,000 people are getting refunds and most will get a check in the mail. Those checks need to be cashed within 90 days. But if you didn’t have an address on file, you’ll get your payment through PayPal.

If you have questions about your payment, contact the refund administrator, Rust Consulting, at 1-833-579-3126. You can also look over frequently asked questions about the refund process.

Did someone say you need to pay money or give personal information to get an Ameritech refund? That’s a scam. The FTC will never charge you money or demand you share personal information to get a refund. Anyone who does is a scammer.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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Richard W Emory Jr
August 24, 2023

I am a retired criminal enforcement lawyer who worked at USEPA. Why FTC and DOJ seem to have imposed no penalty on Ameritech is not explained and makes you look weak and pathetic.

FTC Staff
August 24, 2023

In reply to by Richard W Emory Jr

Follow the link in the first paragraph to learn about the FTC action and DOJ criminal charges.

bill roberts
August 25, 2023

When you say Ameritech, I believe most people are going to think of the phone company. You should be more specific and state Ameritech Financial.

Melanie Gaynor
August 30, 2023

In reply to by bill roberts

As a previous Ameritech (previously MI Bell Telephone, later SBC Telecom & AT&T) employee. Thank you Bill Roberts for clarifying.