NERD Solutions Inc. and ED REF Inc.

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered a temporary restraining order in the case on April 13, 2026. The FTC complaint notes that the defendants have collected at least $8.8 million from consumers already burdened with massive student loan debt. The case is pending further court proceedings.

The Federal Trade Commission obtained a temporary restraining order against NERD Solutions Inc., ED REF Inc., and their operators Natalie Rodriguez and Pablo Ortiz for allegedly operating a student loan debt relief scheme. The defendants are accused of pretending to be affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or loan servicers and falsely promising student loan debt relief that did not exist in exchange for illegal upfront fees.

The defendants allegedly violated the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Impersonation Rule, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Since at least February 2022, they marketed student loan debt relief services by cold calling consumers, thousands of whom were on the National Do Not Call list, while pretending to be affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or consumers' actual loan servicers. They used false claims of student loan forgiveness to lure consumers into paying illegal upfront monthly fees as high as $1,400.