Attorney General releases $565,000 in refunds to 189 Colorado consumers duped by debt settlement providers

Apr. 26, 2019 (DENVER, Colo.) — Attorney General Phil Weiser announced today that his office distributed refunds to 189 Colorado consumers after settling a lawsuit against four Michigan-based companies and an individual who targeted Colorado residents in a debt-settlement scheme.

“We are committed to protecting hard-working Coloradans from unscrupulous debt-settlement providers who prey on them,” said Weiser. “These Michigan entities marketed debt-settlement services in Colorado, signed up and collected fees from more than 200 consumers who were in debt and in vulnerable positions. My office will continue to enforce our debt settlement laws to ensure that consumers are treated fairly.”

The lawsuit alleged that Huron Law Group PLLC, Huron Law Group Colorado PLLC, 800 Zero Debt LLC, GRT Financial, Inc., and Charles DeGryse (collectively “Huron”) charged Colorado consumers illegal up-front fees for debt-settlement services that they failed to provide, and tacked on other illegal costs, such as registration fees and legal club fees. Huron also violated the law by failing to register as a debt settlement provider with the Administrator of the Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC).

The settlement, which a Denver District Court judge approved in February 2018, required Huron to pay back the customers they defrauded. In addition, the settlement permanently prohibits Huron from violating any provision of the Colorado Debt Management Services Act. Furthermore, Huron may not provide services or collect any fees from Colorado consumers unless are registered with the UCCC Administrator and their activities are monitored.

To learn more about consumer loans and credit or debt collection in Colorado, to file a complaint, or to verify whether a debt collector is licensed in Colorado, please visit www.coag.gov/ccu.

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CONTACT
Lawrence Pacheco, Director of Communications
(720) 508-6553 office | (720) 245-4689 cell
Email: Lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov