Quick Answer: The FTC is mailing nearly $3 million in refund checks to more than 1,800 homeowners who were deceived by a mortgage relief scheme that operated as Golden Home Services, Academy Home Services, and Home Matters USA. If you paid one of those companies to lower your mortgage payment or stop a foreclosure, watch your mail — and cash the check within 90 days. Questions go to the refund administrator, JND Legal Administration, at 1-833-674-0067. The real lesson underneath the refund: legitimate help to save your home is free, and anyone who charges you upfront is the scam.
Expert Context: I ran a credit counseling organization, and I’ve watched mortgage relief scams work from the inside for thirty years. The con is always the same: find someone terrified of losing their home, promise to make the problem disappear for an upfront fee, then take the money and do nothing. What makes me angry about this one is that everything these companies charged for was already available for free — and the people who paid were the ones who could least afford to lose another dollar.
The Federal Trade Commission announced in June 2026 that it is returning nearly $3 million to consumers who were deceived by a mortgage relief operation — and if you ever paid a company to “save your home,” this is your reminder to check whether you’re owed money and to never pay for this kind of help again.
According to the FTC’s announcement, the scheme did business under a string of names — Golden Home Services, Academy Home Services, and Home Matters USA among them — and falsely told struggling homeowners it could reduce their mortgage payments and prevent foreclosure. The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), which investigated the operation alongside the FTC, says the operators even falsely tied their programs to federal COVID-19 relief to make the pitch sound official. A 2024 court order banned the companies and their operators from the telemarketing and debt relief business and ordered them to pay.
Who’s getting a check, and what to do
The FTC is mailing checks to the homeowners who lost money to this scheme — more than 1,800 of them, and according to DFPI, roughly half are in California. You don’t apply and you don’t pay anything. If you’re owed money, the check comes to you. Here’s what matters:
- Cash the check within 90 days. These refund checks expire. If yours is sitting on the counter, deposit it.
- If you moved, your check may be going to an old address. Contact the refund administrator, JND Legal Administration, at 1-833-674-0067, to update your information.
- The FTC never charges a fee to send you a refund, and never asks for your bank account or Social Security number to “release” your money. Anyone who does is running a second scam on top of the first.
The refund scam-on-a-scam. Every time the FTC announces refunds, fraudsters call victims pretending to be “refund processors” and ask for a fee or your account number to “speed up” the payment. Don’t fall for it. The genuine refund requires nothing from you. If someone contacts you demanding payment or personal financial details to get your refund, hang up and call JND Legal Administration directly at the number above.
The bigger lesson: real foreclosure help is free
Here’s the part I want you to carry with you long after these checks clear. Every service this operation charged desperate homeowners for was already free.
The Daily Money Brief — Free, at 10 AM
Money you may be owed, scams to dodge, and the fine print decoded — the consumer money news that affects your wallet, every weekday.
If you’re behind on your mortgage or staring down a foreclosure right now, you do not need to pay anyone to help you. You can get free, expert guidance from a HUD-approved housing counselor — call 800-569-4287 to find one near you. They will review your situation, contact your lender, and walk you through your options at no cost. That is the same work these scammers charged thousands of dollars to pretend to do.
If foreclosure is a real and present danger for you right now, I’ve written about what’s driving the recent jump in foreclosures, the real options when you’re stuck in a house you can’t afford, and the specific protections available to veterans in financial crisis — who are too often the target of exactly this kind of scheme.
The Claim: “Pay us an upfront fee and we’ll negotiate with your lender to lower your payment and stop the foreclosure.”
The Reality: Charging an upfront fee for mortgage relief has been illegal under the FTC’s Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) Rule since 2010. A legitimate company cannot collect a dime until it has actually gotten you a written offer from your lender that you accept. Anyone demanding money before then is breaking the law — full stop.
How to spot the next one
This scheme is shut down, but the playbook never dies — it just resurfaces under a new name. After watching this for three decades, here are the red flags I’d tell my own family to run from:
- They ask for money upfront, before doing anything. (Illegal.)
- They tell you to stop paying your mortgage and send payments to them instead.
- They claim a special connection to a government program — including COVID-era relief — to sound legitimate.
- They pressure you to sign quickly or “act now before the deadline.”
- They tell you not to contact your lender or a lawyer.
Not sure if an offer is legit? Before you sign anything or hand over a dollar, run the company through my free Scam-O-Meter to check its complaint history, and paste any contract into the free Contract Decoder to see what you’d actually be agreeing to. If debt is the deeper problem, the Find Your Path quiz shows your real options based on your numbers.
Key Takeaways
- The FTC is refunding nearly $3 million to 1,800+ homeowners deceived by the Golden Home Services / Home Matters USA mortgage relief scheme.
- Cash your refund check within 90 days; questions go to JND Legal Administration at 1-833-674-0067.
- The FTC never charges a fee or asks for account info to send a refund — that’s a scam.
- Real foreclosure help is free: a HUD-approved counselor at 800-569-4287.
- Charging upfront fees for mortgage relief has been illegal since 2010.
The Bottom Line
If you ever paid someone to save your home and felt foolish afterward, let me say this plainly: you weren’t foolish — you were targeted, precisely because you were scared and doing everything you could to protect your family. These operators chose victims who were already drowning. The fact that the FTC is mailing checks doesn’t undo the fear you lived through, but it does say something true: the people who prey on homeowners in crisis don’t always get away with it. And the next time someone promises to fix your mortgage for a fee, you’ll know the most powerful thing of all — the real help was free the whole time, and it still is.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I’m getting an FTC mortgage relief refund?
The FTC is mailing checks directly to the more than 1,800 homeowners who lost money to the Golden Home Services / Home Matters USA scheme. You don’t need to apply. If you paid one of those companies and have questions, contact the refund administrator, JND Legal Administration, at 1-833-674-0067.
How long do I have to cash my FTC refund check?
Cash or deposit your check within 90 days of receiving it, as noted on the check. These refund checks expire, so don’t let it sit.
Does the FTC charge a fee to send my refund?
No. The FTC never requires you to pay money or provide your bank account or Social Security number to receive a refund. Anyone asking for payment or financial details to “release” your refund is running a scam.
Where can I get free help if I’m facing foreclosure?
Contact a HUD-approved housing counselor by calling 800-569-4287. They review your situation, work with your lender, and explain your options at no cost — the same services scammers illegally charge for.
Is it legal for a company to charge upfront for mortgage relief?
No. Under the FTC’s Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) Rule, charging an advance fee for mortgage relief has been illegal since 2010. A legitimate company cannot collect payment until it has secured a written offer from your lender that you accept.
This is what I’d tell my own family after thirty years of watching these scams. Take it as one informed perspective, not a directive — only you know your full situation. Use it as input for your decision. Nobody gets to tell you what to do with your money or your home. Not me, not anyone.
Dealing With Debt? Understanding your options is the first step. See how all your debt relief options compare — including ones most sites won’t tell you about. The Find Your Path quiz gives a recommendation based on your actual numbers, and the Scam-O-Meter checks any company’s complaint history before you sign. Federal Reserve research shows bankruptcy filers recover faster than those who don’t file.
Claiming money you are owed is one good day. What you do over the following year is what actually changes your position.
In the latest issue (Sep 4): You can stop an IRS interview cold — even after you’ve started answering
I write Your Money Actually most weekdays — what I am watching in debt and money, and the small decisions that compound. It is free, I sell nothing, and I take no money from any company I write about.
