The FTC may search for reports related to the defendants and use the contact information in those complaints to create a list of potential refund recipients. 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. The FTC first mailed checks for this matter in October 2019 and sent PayPal payments in August 2021, resulting in more than $26.5 million in refunds. If you believe you have been affected by an FTC case that is not listed at ftc.gov/refunds, you can file a complaint at reportfraud.ftc.gov. An official website of the United States government. 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. How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and help your kids do the same. FTC attorneys and other staff are paid a salary from the agencys annual budget. An official website of the United States government. This was almost too well said maybe they used a chatbot to edit? Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. But this is a scam. And you cant say youre not responsible because that technology is a black box you cant understand or didnt know how to test. When you talk about AI in your advertising, the FTC may be wondering, among other things: Are you exaggerating what your AI product can do? We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect. Once payments have been issued,PayPal sends an email telling recipients about their refund. We use this information to send refunds. If you get a refund from the FTC, just deposit or cash the check within 60 days. We send out payments as soon as we can. Scammers sometimes send emails that pretend to be from the FTC or a company you know. By that time, the scammer has any money you sent, and youre stuck paying the money back to the bank. couch and chair set leather Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. Is it any wonder that we can be primed to accept what marketers say about new tools and devices that supposedly reflect the abilities and benefits of artificial intelligence (AI)? How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and help your kids do the same. SCAM ALERT: Federal Trade Commission Refunds $34 Million to More Than Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. , along with the name of the company issuing payments and a phone number for questions. money back to them or buy stuff for them. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. If you are requesting a check instead of a PayPal payment, it will be at least 45 days from the initial payment date before we can issue the check. 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. If you have any other questions, please call the refund administrator at1-866-898-5106. . We wont post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions. businesses to avoid using automated tools that have biased or discriminatory impacts. Stephanie T. Nguyen, Chief Technology Officer, Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents, You can findanswers tocommon questions about refund payments on, 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, Getting In and Out of Free Trials, Auto-Renewals, and Negative Option Subscript, FTC Sends More Than $12 Million in Full Refunds to Victims of Online Billing Scam, Court Holds Terrason Spinks and Jet Processing Inc. We wont post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. If I accept this payment, can I still take legal action? . Search the Legal Library instead. In most FTC cases, the money is distributed on a pro rata basis, meaning that each recipient receives an equal percentage of his or her total loss. Its an. And all manner of robots serve or control us. Ifyou have any otherquestions, please call the refund administrator at1-800-591-4238. The company added these charges without the customers permission and did not investigate when customers complained about them. Report that to us at, doTERRA distributors charged with making unfounded COVID-19 cure claims, Tenant screening practices: the FTC wants to learn more. They may evenbereal checks written on bank accounts that belong to someone whose identity has been stolen. Use our visualizations to explore scam and fraud trends in your state based on reports from consumers like you. If you'd like to know more about how the refund program works, visit this page about the FTC's process. The company and phone number for each case are listed on the chart. Before making AI widely available . The FTC currently issues payments by check, prepaid debit card,and, A payment or claim form sent as part of an FTC settlement will include an explanation of and details about the case. The most prevarication I have witnessed in the last five years (three in a DOD uniform and two in the AI-industry) have come from very large, well-established, well-connected companies. The .gov means its official. Until the killer robots come Once payments have been issued,PayPal sends an email telling recipients about their refund. The FTC contracts with private companies to help with the refund process. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. How long will it take to get a new check? Search the Legal Library instead. The FTCs latest refund announcement involves checks totaling over $11 million going out to more than 11,000 people who paid E.M. Systems & Services, a company that falsely promised consumers with credit card debt that they would reduce their interest rates and save them thousands of dollars. A monster rises in a lab. Next-Gen Refund Payments. In some cases, this lack of efficacy may exist regardless of what other harm the products might cause. Under a settlement with the FTC, Hold Billing Services (also known as BillingServices Group) admitted to violating a previous court order when the companyadded third-party charges to peoples home phone bills between July 2009 and March 2010. Once payments have been issued, PayPal sends an email telling recipients about their refund. Why didnt I get all my money back? It can take weeks for a bank to figure out that the check is a fake. Ifyou have any otherquestions, please call the refund administrator at1-800-591-4238. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTCsPrivacy Act system notices. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. DANGER, WILL ROBINSON, DANGER! Corporate greed should not override the current state of dangerous affairs. 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. After that and some critical thinking, folks can ask the questions you laid out above and make their judgements. I believe they want to make distinctions on the danger level of various deployment aims and scope of the AI implementations. . To verify the check is from the FTC, go to ftc.gov/amg. Heres what you need to know about these calls. The FTC's interactive dashboards for refund data provide a state-by-state breakdown of FTC refunds. FTC sending checks to student loan borrowers ripped off in scams - CNBC We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. . How can a TEMPORARY PAUSE be put on a technology that is being unleashed faster than high-tech firms can safely deploy / control it? To file a detailed report about a scam, go to. The FTC never requires you to pay fees or asks you for sensitive information, like your Social Security number or bank account information. If there is any money left in the settlement fund after the first distribution, the FTC may send a second round of payments. Stephanie T. Nguyen, Chief Technology Officer, Michael Atleson, Attorney, FTC Division of Advertising Practices. You dont have to pay for an FTC refund, and you dont have to give any information to cash a refund check. The .gov means its official. An official website of the United States government. Dont do it! Our mission is protecting consumers and competition by preventing anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices through law enforcement, advocacy, and education without unduly burdening legitimate business activity. The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. Phishing scams are still prevalent. The site is secure. Because the FTC recovered additional money from the defendants, the agency is sending a second round of payments. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission. They are often printed with the names and addresses of legitimate financial institutions. CI has also created a short video about how to protect yourself from scams, posted on IRS-CI's YouTube page. Why aren't you going after "Full Self Driving" and "Auto Pilot" used by Tesla? The site is secure. It is your choice whether to submit a comment. humans will need to be able to peer into what is now not transparent, the invisible gut. We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. Yes, the FTC sometimes uses PayPal to distribute refunds. Whatever it can or cant do, AI is important, and so are the claims you make about it. Payments are expected to be issued between October 2022 and January 2023. Please call for details. Because there is still money in the fund, the FTC is sending a second payment to everyone who cashed their first check. Stephanie T. Nguyen, Chief Technology Officer, Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents, Refund Programs: Frequently Asked Questions, I received a payment or claim form from the FTC. Choose "Office Depot" from the "Select a Case" box in the top right corner, then click on your state on the map. You can find the phone numbers for FTC refund programs at ftc.gov/refunds. What to do about unwanted calls, emails, and text messages that can be annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams. Consumers who receive checks should cash them by August 17, 2022. It can only see both side and in front not a car on the side facing the street that going to pull out. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments.