PHOENIX – Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced today that his administration has now secured well over $100 million in restitution for Arizona consumers since he took office in 2015, which exceeds the total restitution awards secured by the AG’s Office from 2000-2014 combined. Each year, the AG's Office received more than 15,000 consumer fraud related complaints.
“The Attorney General's Office Consumer Protection Division continues to reach never-before-seen milestones in consumer restitution, and we're not finished,” said Attorney General Brnovich. “Our focus on recovering money for Arizonans impacted by consumer fraud continues to pay off, and we will continue to advocate for Arizona consumers who have nowhere else to turn."
Examples of top restitution recoveries under AG Brnovich include:
- Automotive
- Arizona consumers who purchased certain General Motors and Volkwagen vehicles have received over $15 million in restitution.
- Arizona consumers who had certain loans from auto lender Santander are also set to receive between $22.7 million and $41.5 million of relief (through restitution checks, in-kind relief, or debt forgiveness).
- Student Loans
- Arizona students have received nearly $30 million in debt relief related to failed schools such as ITT Tech, Argosy University, and Collins College.
- Misleading Pricing
- Arizona consumers were entitled to nearly $1 million in restitution for made-up fees imposed on rental car transactions after AG Brnovich’s office won a 2017 verdict against Dennis N. Saban and his companies, Phoenix Car Rental and Saban’s Rent-A-Car.
- Arizona consumers received $1.9 million in restitution to consumers who did not receive promised discounts from CenturyLink.
- Disruptive Technologies
- More than 76,000 Arizona consumers who bought Theranos tests received $4.65 million in refunds, representing full reimbursement for all out-of-pocket costs.
- Nearly $2 million will be sent to Arizona Uber drivers who were affected by the company’s data breach.
In addition to recovering over $100 million in consumer restitution, the AG's Office estimates that consumers have saved $25 million in future timeshare fees as a result of the Office helping consumers relinquish their timeshare contracts under a consumer settlement with Diamond Resorts.
If you believe you have been the victim of consumer fraud, you can file a consumer complaint by visiting the Attorney General’s website. If you need a complaint form sent to you, contact the Attorney General’s Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, or outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas at (800) 352-8431.