I paid $5000 to a company as part of study abroad program. Many of the claims the company made were false (i.e. school is not recognized in ...

Question

I paid $5000 to a company as part of study abroad program. Many of the claims the company made were false (i.e. school is not recognized in CA, was supposed to be associated with another US university but is not, would have US professors teaching but did not) and I was forced to quit their program while overseas. The company refuses to refund me my money.

Additionally, several other students students paid their tuition to this company as instructed by them, but the company did not transfer these funds to the school, they said they were used for "operational expenses" and the students were forces to either pay the tuition again to the school or quit. These amounts varied from $5000-$36,000.

Please help us

Thank you

Answer

I'm afraid the only likely place you will find help is from the fraud division of the relevant police department.

Answer

I think a lot depends on whether the company you paid the money to has a presence in the U.S. If they do, then there may be ways to hold them accountable. If they don't, it is probably cost-prohibitive to go after them abroad. I would suggest that you do some research on the company, and if you can find US operations or a US affiliate, reach out again.