FTC v. ACRO Services LLC, et al. (Debt Relief, Telemarketing)

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has successfully shut down a deceptive credit card debt relief scheme operated by Sean Austin, John Steven Huffman, and John Preston Thompson, which targeted financially vulnerable consumers, including older Americans. The defendants, who ran a network of companies across several states, promised to eliminate or significantly reduce consumers' credit card debt. However, they charged hefty upfront fees and misled consumers about the effectiveness of their services, claiming to use phony methods like federal debt relief programs or “debt validation” to reduce debts. The defendants also instructed consumers to stop making payments to their credit card companies, which led to further financial harm, including lawsuits and damage to credit scores.