FTC Sends More Than $15.8 Million to Over 2.12 Million Cleo AI Users: PayPal Payments Began October 27, Accept Within 30 Days
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began sending refunds on October 27 to 2,124,796 consumers, totaling more than $15.8 million. The recipients had paid cash advance app Cleo AI for eligible instant cash advances. Payments are made through PayPal and must be accepted within 30 days. Eligible consumers received an email notification from [email protected] between October 8 and October 26.
The case stems from the FTC's March 2025 complaint: Cleo AI advertised access to "hundreds of dollars" in cash advances when almost no one received close to the advertised amounts; it charged extra fees for same-day or instant advances that often arrived the next day; and it made subscriptions difficult to cancel. Cleo agreed to pay $17 million to settle. The settlement order bars the company from misleading consumers about material terms of its advances, requires clear subscription disclosures and express informed consent before charging, and requires a simple cancellation method. The more than $15.8 million now being distributed comes from that settlement.
The FTC stresses that it never asks consumers to pay to receive a refund or to provide account information. Anyone demanding a fee to release a refund, calling to demand money, making threats, or promising a prize in connection with a refund is running a scam; reports can be filed at the FTC fraud reporting website. Consumers with questions about their payment can contact the refund administrator, Rust Consulting, at 1-877-788-4958.
Source: GSM · America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国联邦贸易委员会（FTC）徽标（美国联邦政府公共领域图片）。Seal of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (U.S. federal government, public domain).
