The Federal Trade Commission is distributing more than $15.8 million to customers of cash-advance application Cleo AI, completing the consumer-redress phase of a 2025 enforcement case.
The agency said 2,124,796 customers who paid for eligible instant advances will receive notices this month, with PayPal payments scheduled to begin on October 27. Recipients will have 30 days to redeem the money. The FTC says consumers do not need to pay a fee or provide sensitive information to receive a legitimate refund.
The underlying complaint alleged that Cleo advertised access to advances of hundreds of dollars even though few users received amounts close to those claims. It also accused the company of charging extra for same-day or instant delivery that sometimes arrived later, and of making paid subscriptions difficult to cancel.
Those allegations were resolved through the earlier settlement rather than a trial. Thursday’s announcement does not reopen the case; it identifies the distribution process and the affected pool. The size and timing of individual payments may vary according to eligibility data and the final response rate.
Review the official refund notice
