Service members and veterans defrauded by a retail jeweler’s price gouging scheme are eligible for refunds from a civil settlement. (Hope Straley/U.S. Marine Corps)
WASHINGTON — Service members and veterans defrauded by a retail jeweler’s price gouging scheme are eligible for refunds from a civil settlement secured by the New York attorney general.
“Service members and veterans give up so much to serve our country, and they deserve to be honored and respected, not misled and defrauded,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
The attorney general’s office filed a lawsuit against Harris Jewelry in 2018, accusing the Long Island-based company of defrauding service members and veterans into illegal financing contracts for cheaply made products.
In 2022, the attorney general’s office and the Federal Trade Commission led an 18-state agreement that recovered $34.2 million in refunds, canceled debt and secured settlement money from the company.
The jewelry company deceptively claimed financing jewelry purchases through Harris would raise service members’ credit scores, misrepresented that its protection plans were not optional or were required, and added the plans to purchases without consumers’ consent, the trade commission said in a statement. The company was also accused of violating numerous financial consumer protection laws, including the Military Lending Act.
The settlement required Harris Jewelry to cancel $21.3 million in debt for more than 13,000 people and provide $12.8 million in refunds for more than 40,000 who were misled into paying for lifetime protection plans on low-quality jewelry without disclosure, the attorney general’s office said in a statement.
More than 30,000 consumers remain eligible for refunds from a fund exceeding $8 million, according to the AG’s office.
Consumers who purchased items from Harris Jewelry and paid for a lifetime jewelry and watch protection plan, and have yet to file a claim or previously filed a claim but did not hear back from Harris Jewelry are encouraged to file a claim online as soon as possible.
A claim to get money back must be filed by Dec. 21. Anyone experiencing an issue filing a claim should contact the New York attorney general’s Watertown regional office by calling 315-523-6080 or filing an online complaint.
