ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced filing a complaint  (PDF, 919.56 KB) in Gwinnett County against IBA Solutions; IBA Solutions’s purported charitable arm, IBA Solutions Second Chance; and the businesses’ owners, Carlina and Anthony Pridgen, for offering and conducting illegal credit repair services in Georgia for tens of thousands of consumers throughout the United States. This conduct is a crime under Georgia’s credit repair statute, and it violates the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act.

The Complaint alleges that Defendants’ services, in addition to being illegal to begin with, have facilitated widespread identity theft for over 10 years. Defendants have created or obtained fake Social Security numbers and used those numbers, in addition to other fake personal information, to create counterfeit credit profiles maintained by consumer reporting agencies. Defendants also created alternative identities for consumers by falsifying Social Security cards, federal tax filings, bank statements, and paystubs for nonexistent employers. Defendants have allegedly used these tools to help consumers obtain mortgages, car loans, and rental housing and to evade underwriting and fraud detection systems. These practices have taken advantage of vulnerable consumers and harmed legitimate American businesses.

In addition, Defendants have advertised and sold legal services without a license to practice law, which Carlina Pridgen, in particular, has engaged in for decades in both Georgia and Florida. Defendants have also used IBA Solutions Second Chance to solicit and collect donations without adhering to the Georgia Charitable Solicitations Act. 

The Complaint seeks to stop Defendants’ illegal enterprise and to require Defendants to both pay civil penalties and disgorge all revenue received. 

If you have a bad credit record, you know how hard it can be to secure new credit or seek new employment.  While you may be willing to do whatever it takes to repair your credit rating, some companies not only offer illegal advice or methods, but also misrepresent what they will be able to accomplish. Learn about legal credit repair.