FTC sends refunds to people deceived into enrolling in schools
The FTC is sending a second round of payments to 5,119 people as the result of a settlement with Career Education Corporation (CEC) over how the company promoted its schools.
CEC operated American InterContinental University, Colorado Technical University, and Sanford-Brown. According to the FTC, CEC bought sales leads from companies that used deceptive websites to collect people’s contact information. The websites claimed to offer help finding jobs, enlisting in the military, and getting government benefits. Instead, CEC used the information collected by these websites to make high-pressure sales calls to market its schools.
The FTC first sent checks in June 2021, which resulted in more than $23 million in refunds. Because there is still money in the fund, the agency is sending a second payment to people who cashed their first check and paid the defendants more than $1,000.
If you get a check, please cash it within 90 days.
The FTC did not issue 1099s or other tax documents to refund recipients in this matter. If you have any questions about how your payment may affect your taxes, please consult a tax advisor.
You can find answers to common questions about refund payments on our FAQ page. If you have any other questions, please call the refund administrator at 1-833-916-3603.