If you paid Cleo AI for an eligible instant cash advance, check your email today.
October 26, 2026 is the final day of the Federal Trade Commission’s official notification window for the Cleo AI refund program.
The FTC says eligible consumers are being notified by email between October 8 and October 26. PayPal payments are scheduled to begin October 27.
More than 2.1 million payments totaling over $15.8 million are being distributed.
But before clicking anything in an email claiming to offer a refund, make sure it is legitimate.
First, check the sender
The FTC says official Cleo AI refund notifications are being sent from:
no-reply@consumersentinel.gov
If you used Cleo and think you may qualify, search your inbox for that exact address.
It may also be worth checking your spam or junk folder before assuming you did not receive a notification.
Be cautious with messages that use a similar-looking address, unusual spelling, or a commercial domain and claim that you must act immediately to receive your money.
Who is getting a Cleo AI refund?
The FTC says the payments are going to Cleo AI customers who paid for eligible instant cash advances.
This does not mean that every person who ever downloaded Cleo or maintained an account automatically receives a payment.
The refund stems from an FTC case involving Cleo’s cash-advance business.
The FTC alleged that Cleo advertised access to fast cash advances, but few customers received amounts close to what was advertised. The agency also alleged that some consumers paid additional express fees for fast delivery but still waited longer than promised, and that cancelling subscriptions could be difficult.
Cleo agreed in 2025 to pay $17 million to resolve the FTC case. The current refund distribution uses more than $15.8 million for eligible consumers.
PayPal payments start October 27
The next important date is October 27, 2026.
That is when the FTC says it will begin sending the Cleo AI refund payments through PayPal.
The planned distribution includes:
- 2,124,796 PayPal payments
- More than $15.8 million in total refunds
- Payments beginning October 27
Receiving the initial notification email does not necessarily mean the money appears in your PayPal account on October 26. The FTC specifically lists October 27 as the start of the payment distribution.
You have 30 days to accept the PayPal payment
If you receive a PayPal refund, do not leave it sitting indefinitely.
The FTC instructs recipients to accept the PayPal payment within 30 days.
The 30-day period is tied to receiving the payment, so pay attention to the actual PayPal notification when it arrives.
If you normally ignore PayPal emails because you rarely use the service, this is one situation where an eligible recipient should watch carefully for the legitimate payment.
You should never have to pay to receive an FTC refund
This is the most important scam warning.
The FTC says:
You do not have to pay money to receive an FTC refund.
A legitimate Cleo AI refund should not require you to:
- Pay a processing fee
- Pay a tax in advance
- Buy a gift card
- Send cryptocurrency
- Wire money
- Give a caller your bank password
- Provide account information to someone who contacts you unexpectedly
If someone says, “Your Cleo refund is waiting, but you need to pay $25 first,” that is not how the FTC refund process works.
Be especially careful now that the refund is in the news
Whenever a large government refund program becomes public, scammers can use the same story to create convincing fake messages.
A fake message may say:
“FTC CLEO REFUND — Click now to claim your $150 payment.”
Or:
“Your Cleo settlement payment expires tonight. Verify your bank account immediately.”
Don’t judge the message by how professional it looks.
Instead, verify it using information published independently by the FTC.
For the Cleo refund, the key facts are:
- Official notification sender: no-reply@consumersentinel.gov
- Notification period: October 8–26, 2026
- PayPal payments begin: October 27, 2026
- Payment acceptance period: 30 days
- No fee is required to receive the refund
Didn’t get an email by today?
If you paid Cleo AI for an instant cash advance but do not see an official notification, first search your email carefully for no-reply@consumersentinel.gov and check your spam or junk folder.
Do not pay a third-party company that claims it can “recover” the refund for you.
If you have questions about whether you are included or about the payment process, the FTC directs consumers to the official refund administrator:
Rust Consulting: 1-877-788-4958
Use that official contact rather than a telephone number contained in an unsolicited social-media post or text message.
What if you receive the email but no PayPal payment tomorrow?
October 27 is the date payments begin. It should not be interpreted as a guarantee that every eligible recipient will see a payment at exactly the same time.
If your payment appears later, follow the instructions associated with the legitimate payment and remember the FTC’s 30-day acceptance requirement.
If you have questions about the payment itself, contact the refund administrator using the official number published by the FTC.
What if someone asks for your PayPal password?
Stop.
Neither an FTC refund nor an ordinary PayPal payment requires you to give another person your PayPal password, online banking password, or one-time security code.
If a caller or message asks for those credentials to “release” the Cleo refund, treat that as a major warning sign.
Go directly to the official FTC refund page or your normal PayPal account rather than using links supplied by an unexpected sender.
The SavingQueen takeaway
For the Cleo AI refund, today is an important date.
October 26 is the final day of the FTC’s official email-notification window.
If you previously paid Cleo AI for an eligible instant cash advance, check your inbox for:
no-reply@consumersentinel.gov
Then remember the next step:
October 26 → Final notification day
October 27 → PayPal payments begin
Payment received → Accept within 30 days
And perhaps most importantly:
You should never have to pay someone to receive an FTC refund.
If a message asks for an upfront fee, bank password, gift card, cryptocurrency payment, or money transfer in exchange for your Cleo refund, do not send anything.
Official notification window: October 8–26, 2026
PayPal payments begin: October 27, 2026
Number of payments: 2,124,796
Total distribution: More than $15.8 million
Official email sender: no-reply@consumersentinel.gov
PayPal acceptance deadline: Within 30 days of receiving payment
Refund administrator: Rust Consulting, 1-877-788-4958
