Analysis · Do Not Call
FTC Obtains Restraining Order Against Alleged Student Loan Debt Relief Scheme That Posed as the Department of Education
On April 13, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered a temporary restraining order against NERD Solutions Inc., ED REF Inc. and their operators Natalie Rodriguez and Pablo Ortiz. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges the defendants cold-called consumers, pretended to be affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or loan servicers, and collected illegal upfront fees for debt relief that did not exist.
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What happened
According to the FTC's complaint, as described in its April 16, 2026, announcement:
- Since at least February 2022, the defendants marketed student loan debt relief by cold-calling consumers, thousands of whom were on the National Do Not Call Registry.
- They allegedly pretended to be affiliated with the Department of Education or consumers' actual loan servicers.
- They allegedly used false promises of loan forgiveness to get consumers to pay upfront monthly fees as high as $1,400.
- The defendants allegedly collected at least $8.8 million.
These are allegations. The court will decide the case.
The law
The FTC charged violations of:
- The FTC Act, which prohibits deceptive practices.
- The Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), which bars calls to Registry numbers without consent and bars debt relief companies from collecting fees before they deliver results.
- The Impersonation Rule, which prohibits impersonating government agencies and businesses.
- The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which prohibits obtaining customers' financial information by false pretenses.
The FTC thanked the Ohio Attorney General's Office for substantial assistance. The Commission vote to file was 2-0.
Why it matters
Student loan relief remains a target for telemarketing fraud. The FTC now has the Impersonation Rule as an added tool, and it is using it alongside the TSR.
What this means for you
- Never imply a government connection. Names, seals and phrases like "Department of Education program" create Impersonation Rule exposure.
- No advance fees in debt relief. The TSR prohibits them.
- Scrub against the Registry. Cold calls to registered numbers are a separate violation.
- Lead buyers: Ask how student loan leads are generated and what callers say.
Not legal advice. TCPA.com provides general information, not legal advice, and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Do not rely on it. Verify any action with your own licensed lawyer before you take it. See our Terms of Use.
About the Author: Harrison Gevirtz
Harrison Gevirtz serves as the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Ringba, a call tracking and pay per call platform, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Harrison Gevirtz is a serial operator in call tracking, call routing and telemarketing operations, and for the past several years he has focused on how federal regulations affect the daily operations of these industries. At TCPA.com, Harrison Gevirtz covers TCPA litigation, Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) enforcement, tech support fraud prosecutions and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulemaking in a way that's accessible to the non-lawyer executive or compliance manager.
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