FTC Secures Temporary Restraining Order Against Student Loan Debt Relief Operation
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission has obtained a temporary restraining order against NERD Solutions Inc., ED REF Inc., and operators Natalie Rodriguez and Pablo Ortiz.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered the order on April 13, 2026, following allegations of a deceptive student loan debt relief scheme.
The commission's complaint charges the defendants with violating the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Impersonation Rule, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
The enforcement action targets operations that allegedly marketed debt relief services by cold calling consumers, including thousands of individuals registered on the National Do Not Call list.
The operators are accused of impersonating the U.S. Department of Education and actual loan servicers to lure consumers with false promises of loan forgiveness.
The court order immediately restrains the defendants from continuing their telemarketing and fee-collection practices while the case is decided by the court.
The scheme allegedly extracted upfront monthly fees of up to $1,400 from consumers, resulting in the collection of at least $8.8 million since February 2022.
The legal action halts the further collection of funds from individuals already burdened by massive student loan debt.
The enforcement is strictly bound to the specific corporate entities NERD Solutions Inc. and ED REF Inc., along with their named individual operators.
The temporary restraining order applies to their telemarketing and marketing operations that targeted student loan borrowers across the public.
The Commission initiated this complaint under its standard authority to act when it has reason to believe entities are actively violating the law and legal intervention serves the public interest.
