You can find the phone numbers for FTC refund programs at, To discuss your claim or payment, call the number on the claim form, check, or email that you received from the FTC. Whether it's a refund scam promising to get your money back or a recovery scam claiming to get you the prize or products you were promised . The site is secure. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTCscomputer user recordssystem. How can a TEMPORARY PAUSE be put on a technology that is being unleashed faster than high-tech firms can safely deploy / control it? How much money from FTC lawsuits goes to FTC attorneys. Marketers should know that for FTC enforcement purposes false or unsubstantiated claims about a products efficacy are our bread and butter. humans will need to be able to peer into what is now not transparent, the invisible gut. We may also use the agencys Consumer Sentinel Network database to find eligible recipients. According to the FTC, ABCmouse failed to make it clear to their customers that their memberships would automatically renew and made it difficult to cancel. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. Have you heard about it? In these cases, we send an email from the FTC (subscribe@subscribe.ftc.gov) to payment recipients prior to payment. If you have questions about your AMG refundcheck, go to the FTC'sAMG refundspage, or call the refundsadministrator at 1-866-730-8174. An official website of the United States government. The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. If you were a little too jolly with your holiday spending, here are some tips to help you pay down your credit card debt. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTCsPrivacy Act system notices. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to. We currently contract with four companies: The FTC never requires you to pay upfront fees or asks you for sensitive information, like your Social Security number or bank account information. If you get a PayPal payment, please accept it within 30 days. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. The FTC is a federal government agency that gets its budget from Congress. Here is a list of gift cards that scammers often use with information to help report a scam. An official website of the United States government. . Refund amounts will depend on how much the FTC is able to collect from the defendants and how many people lost money. Youve probably heard: this holiday season, it might be harder to find the gifts youre looking for. In some cases, this lack of efficacy may exist regardless of what other harm the products might cause. Learn about getting and using credit, borrowing money, and managing debt. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. For generations weve told ourselves stories, using themes of magic and science, about inanimate things that we bring to life or imbue with power beyond human capacity. Recent complaints to the FTC show that scammers are: So how can you tell whether an FTC refund is real? AI hype is playing out today across many products, from toys to cars to chatbots and a lot of things in between. In addition, the agency is resending checks to more than 33,000 people who didn't previously cash their check. In a fake check scam, a person you dont know asks you to deposit a check. But scammers try to cause confusion and take advantage at every step. Start small, then add on. Checks can be verified online at www.ftc.gov/AMG. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. The site is secure. Consumer Sentinel data contains millions of reports from people who contacted the FTC, the Better Business Bureau, or other federal, state, and local law enforcement offices about fraud or bad business practices. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission. The message says theres something wrong with Its Cyber Security Awareness month, so the tricks scammers use to steal our personal information are on our minds. And at the FTC, one thing we know about hot marketing terms is that some advertisers wont be able to stop themselves from overusing and abusing them. The FTC uses money collected from its lawsuits to pay for the direct costs of sending refunds, like the cost of printing and mailing checks. In one version of the scam, you get a call and a recorded message that says its Amazon. Fake calls from Apple and Amazon support: What you need to know, The Google Voice scam: How this verification code scam works and how to avoid it, Show/hide Shopping and Donating menu items, Show/hide Credit, Loans, and Debt menu items, Show/hide Jobs and Making Money menu items, Money-Making Opportunities and Investments, Show/hide Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts menu items, Show/hide Identity Theft and Online Security menu items, If you lost money in a scam, you might get a call or email from someone claiming that they can help you recover your funds , targeting people who lost money to tech support scams, claiming to be from the FTCs Refund Department or Refund Division, If the FTC contacts you about a refund, youll find information about the case at, doTERRA distributors charged with making unfounded COVID-19 cure claims, Tenant screening practices: the FTC wants to learn more. Most FTC cases do not require you to file a claim. Because the FTC recovered additional money from the defendants, the agency is sending a second round of payments. . We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. Thank you to have the clarity and courage to say this, and to say it so well. We wont post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions. Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. They might say they need you to cover taxes or fees for a prize, to buy supplies for a job, to send back money they overpaid, or something else. We wont post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity. Make smart shopping decisions, know your rights, and solve problems when you shop or donate to charity. . Otherwise, do some research online. Bigotry, over aggressiveness, conflicting ideologies, partisan beliefs, history revisionism and questioning fact were used as input. We cannot send payments until all legal action is complete, and we have collected the money from the defendants. Search the Legal Library instead. And weve heard from many of you that you got your check and cashed it. The case will be listed at. Report that to us at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Spot the latest COVID scams, get compliance guidance, and stay up to date on FTC actions during the pandemic. Because there is still money in the fund, the FTC is sending another round of payments to people who previously cashed a check or accepted a PayPal payment and have a valid email address on file. If the card you used is not on this list, you might find the gift card companys contact information on the card itself. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to. How do I know this FTC payment or claim form is legit? FTC court orders typically require the defendants to provide a list of customers, along with their contact information, and how much they paid. To find out which recent FTC cases led to refunds, and who to contact with questions, check out ftc.gov/refunds. Spot the latest COVID scams, get compliance guidance, and stay up to date on FTC actions during the pandemic. If there is any money left in the settlement fund after the first distribution, the FTC may send a second round of payments. For example, were not yet living in the realm of science fiction, where computers can generally make trustworthy predictions of human behavior. What to do about unwanted calls, emails, and text messages that can be annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams. Weve just heard, though, that scammers are trying to get into the act, using fake checks that look like the real one. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect. According to a complaint filed by theFTC,LifeLockfailed to establish and maintain a comprehensive information security programto protect its customer data, falsely advertised that it protected sensitive customerdata with the same high-level safeguards used by financial institutions, and falsely claimed it provided 24/7/365 alerts as soon as it received any indication a customer's identity was being used. The irony. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. This article rubbed me the wrong way when I first read it, I had to let it sit for 24 hours and think about it. We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. It is your choice whether to submit a comment. The most common banking scams include: Overpayment scams - Someone sends you a check, instructs you to deposit it in your bank account, and wire part of the money back to them. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. If you get a refund from the FTC, just deposit or cash the check within 60 days. If theres one constant among scammers, its that theyre always coming up with new schemes, like the Google Voice verification scam. Please tell the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission. Right now its a hot one. To verify the check is from the FTC, go to ftc.gov/amg. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. The FTC is sending PayPal payments totaling $4.7 million to 338,189LifeLock customers who were membersbetween 2012 and 2014. Data on FTC refunds are available in interactive online dashboards. If you were a little too jolly with your holiday spending, here are some tips to help you pay down your credit card debt. Looking for legal documents or records? The FTC is sending almost $25 million in refund checks to over 240,000 people who lost money as a result of a sweepstakes scam run by Next-Gen Inc. Next-Gen allegedly promised cash prizes to customers to participate in sweepstakes or "game of skill" contests. The FTC does not require you to forfeit any rights you may have under federal or state law to get your refund. We wont post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups. Youve probably heard: this holiday season, it might be harder to find the gifts youre looking for. Not that all human knowledge sucked in by AI is garbage . Completely agree that movies and media have caused an unfortunate and exaggerated view of AI. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. In addition, the agency is resending checks to more than 33,000 people who didnt previously cash their check. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Start small, then add on. Your performance claims would be deceptive if they lack scientific support or if they apply only to certain types of users or under certain conditions. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. We review all comments before they are posted, and we wont post comments that dont comply with our commenting policy. And remember that the FTC will never require you to pay fees in advance, or ask for sensitive information, like your bank account number. Are you exaggerating what your AI product can do? I didnt cash my check right away. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. This was almost too well said maybe they used a chatbot to edit? How long will it take to send out payments? Spot the latest COVID scams, get compliance guidance, and stay up to date on FTC actions during the pandemic. We wont post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups. AI hype is playing out today across many products, from toys to cars to chatbots and a lot of things in between. Its usually for more than they owe you, and its sometimes for several thousand dollars. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and help your kids do the same. Users can explore refund data, HSR threshold adjustments and reportability for 2023, A Century of Technological Evolution at the Federal Trade Commission, National Consumer Protection Week 2023 Begins Sunday, March 5, FTC at the 65th Annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market - NCPW 2023. When people gave their credit or debit card numbers to pay a smallshipping and handling fee, I Works charged them aone-time fee of up to $129.95, followed by monthly fees of up to $59.95, without their consent. Corporate greed should not override the current state of dangerous affairs. For statistics about where refunds were sent, the dollar amounts refunded, and the number of people who benefited from FTC refund programs, visit our interactive dashboards. Generally, after the initial distribution, we process check reissues once a month. And remember that the FTC will never require you to pay fees in advance, or ask for sensitive information, like your bank account number. We wont post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity. The FTC currently issues payments by check, prepaid debit card,and PayPal. Clear case of over promising. Advertisers should take another look at our. Does the product actually use AI at all? We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. Looking for alternatives for your holiday shopping? Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. Before labeling your product as AI-powered, note also that merely using an AI tool in the development process is not the same as a product having AI in it. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. Users can explore refund data by case or by year to learn about where refunds were sent, the dollar amounts refunded, and the number of people who benefited from FTC refund programs. By that time, the scammer has any money you sent, and youre stuck paying the money back to the bank. If I accept this payment, can I still take legal action? If you'd like to know more about how the refund program works, visit this page about the FTC's process. The .gov means its official. Earlier this month, the FTC sent over 10,000 checks totaling over $4 million to fully refund people for the amount they paid to Stark Law, a company that the FTC says collected payments for fake debt by threatening to sue or arrest people who didnt pay. The .gov means its official. An official website of the United States government. One of those scams was 8 Figure Dream Lifestyle, which touted a proven business model and told Scammers are calling people and using the names of two companies everyone knows, Apple and Amazon, to rip people off. We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. Estimate your payment amount The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. to payment recipients prior to payment. . Heres what to know about fake check scams. PayPal payments will expire on June 4, 2022 (30 days after being sent). So, many of us might be looking for alternatives, like buying gifts locally or maybe from online marketplaces or sites you find through your social media accounts, online ads, or by searching Youve opened all your gifts, and now its time to open those post-holiday credit card statements.
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