The FTC enforces consumer protection laws to stop illegal business practices and get refunds to people who lost money. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. And its happy news when those cases result in refunds. Start small, then add on. If the agency obtains a reliable list of eligible recipients, then the agency mails checks directly to them. The .gov means its official. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. 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 didn't pay. When the funds are made available in your account, the bank may say the check has "cleared," but that doesn't mean it's a good check. The site is secure. If you were a little too jolly with your holiday spending, here are some tips to help you pay down your credit card debt. The .gov means its official. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. If something goes wrong maybe it fails or yields biased results you cant just blame a third-party developer of the technology. If you think youve been targeted by a fake check scam, report it to. 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. We may also use the agencys Consumer Sentinel Network database to find eligible recipients. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. 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)? The FTC reports how much money was returned to consumers, how much was spent on administrative costs, and how much was sent to the U.S. Treasury when there were leftover funds, each year and for every case, on the agencys Refunds Dashboard. According to the FTC case, Avant falsely advertised to customers that it would accept loan payments by card. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTCsPrivacy Act system notices. Recent FTC Cases Resulting in Refunds - Federal Trade Commission We wont post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. It often refers to a variety of technological tools and techniques that use computation to perform tasks such as predictions, decisions, or recommendations. For more information about the FTCs refund process, see How the FTC Provides Refunds. If youd like to know more about how the refund program works, visit this page about the FTCs process. 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. In an investigation, FTC technologists and others can look under the hood and analyze other materials to see if whats inside matches up with your claims. An official website of the United States government. How can a TEMPORARY PAUSE be put on a technology that is being unleashed faster than high-tech firms can safely deploy / control it? Refund Programs: Frequently Asked Questions - Federal Trade Commission Got questions about your refund? . If I accept this payment, can I still take legal action? 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. We review all comments before they are posted, and we wont post comments that dont comply with our commenting policy. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. 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. You can find the phone numbers for FTC refund programs at ftc.gov/refunds. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission. A payment or claim form sent as part of an FTC settlement will include an explanation of and details about the case. 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, Franchises, Business Opportunities, and Investments, FTC says online counseling service BetterHelp pushed people into handing over health information and broke its privacy promises, Next step in FTCs Green Guides review: A closer look at recyclable claims, Tenant screening practices: The FTC wants to hear from you. We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. An official website of the United States government. Here is a list of gift cards that scammers often use with information to help report a scam. Make smart shopping decisions, know your rights, and solve problems when you shop or donate to charity. the payment processor that made it possible for this company to collect credit card payments the FTC is sending customers of E.M. Systems & Services 100% of their lost money back. If someone claims to be from the FTC and asks for money, its a scam. But this is a scam. Advertisers should take another look at our earlier AI guidance, which focused on fairness and equity but also said, clearly, not to overpromise what your algorithm or AI-based tool can deliver. How long will it take to send out payments? Some of us are actually doing AI/ML and it is a game changer, it just isn't going to be a panacea, just tools to make sense of data and make things quicker and easier. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA - The FTC is sending refund checks to more than 541,000 people who paid for repairs and technical services when they took their computers to Office Depot or Office Max. Before making AI widely available . 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. The .gov means its official. Unless they figure out WHO IS GOING TO DO THAT IN THE FUTURE, will not this whole technology continue to go off the rails and be very dangerous in the wrong hands? In addition, the agency is resending checks to more than 33,000 people who didn't previously cash their check. Once payments have been issued,PayPal sends an email telling recipients about their refund. Looking for legal documents or records? Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. In one version of the scam, you get a call and a recorded message that says its Amazon. Click on a case name to see more details about the refund program, including whether we sent checks or PayPal payments. FTC Sends Refund Checks to Tech Support Scam Victims The Federal Trade Commission will begin sending refunds totaling more than $1.7 million to consumers who were victims of a tech support scam.The scam tricked consumers into buying tech support services by claiming their computers were infected with viruses, malware, or other security breaches. Hold Billing Services Refunds | Federal Trade Commission Fake checks might look like business or personal checks, cashiers checks, money orders, or a check delivered electronically. FTC announces refunds for victims of credit card scam - Scam Guards Find the resources you need to understand how consumer protection law impacts your business. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. If something goes wrong maybe it fails or yields biased results you cant just blame a third-party developer of the technology. The case will be listed at ftc.gov/refunds, along with the name of the company issuing payments and a phone number for questions. If someone contacts you claiming that theyre from the FTC and want you to spend money in order to get a refund, its a scam. We wont post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. We use this information to send refunds. Have you heard about it? The FTC and its law enforcement partners announced actions against several income scams that conned people out of hundreds of millions of dollars by falsely telling them they could make a lot of money. I didnt cash my check right away. If there is any money left in the settlement fund after the first distribution, the FTC may send a second round of payments. 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 if you pay them, hand over personal information, or allow them remote access to your computer. Has someone asked you for something in exchange for your AMG refund check? For questions about your check or the refund process, call the administrator (Rust Consulting) at 1-866-730-8147, or email admin@AMGServicesRefund.com . Slam the next scam and report to law enforcement." During National Consumer Protection Week, IRS-CI will share information on its Twitter account about how to slam a particular scam. IRS-CI enlists the public's assistance in slamming the next scam They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission. 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. We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. The .gov means its official. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. 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. After letting those initial feelings subside, I think it is a great article and I have sent it to several DOD friends. In cases where the FTC is required to report payments to the IRS, the agency will include a 1099 tax form with your check. but someone must be able to make distinctions and be able to tell it what is moral, what is not, what is a fact, what is not, what is intentional miss-information what is not what is humor / sarcasm what is not, etc. 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. If you get a check, please cash it within 90days. The case will be listed at. If theres one constant among scammers, its that theyre always coming up with new schemes, like the Google Voice verification scam. Weve. The FTC enforces consumer protection laws to stop illegal business practices and get refunds to people who lost money. Heres how it works Acting Associate Director, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC. Because there is still money in the fund, the FTC is sending a second payment to everyone who cashed their first check. If there is any money left in the settlement fund after the first distribution, the FTC may send a second round of payments. If you are eligible, you will automatically receive a payment. Over the last 5 years, more than 95% of the money collected for refunds has been returned to consumers. A creature is formed of clay. Whatever it can or cant do, AI is important, and so are the claims you make about it. To find out which recent FTC cases led to refunds, and who to contact with questions, check out, . Like any product, you have to do your research. Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. We use this information to send refunds. How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and help your kids do the same. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Consumers who receive checks should cash them by August 17, 2022. Hold Billing Services, Ltd.; Avery Communications, Inc.; Veterans of America Association, Ltd.; et al. Thank you to have the clarity and courage to say this, and to say it so well. If you get a refund from the FTC, just deposit or cash the check within 60 days. Use our visualizations to explore scam and fraud trends in your state based on reports from consumers like you. Refund checks will expire on August 3, 2022 (90 days after being sent.) businesses to avoid using automated tools that have biased or discriminatory impacts. does not issue 1099s or other tax documents to refund recipients. If theres one constant among scammers, its that theyre always coming up with new schemes, like the Google Voice verification scam. 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. Report that to us at, doTERRA distributors charged with making unfounded COVID-19 cure claims, Tenant screening practices: the FTC wants to learn more. 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. In an investigation, FTC technologists and others can look under the hood and analyze other materials to see if whats inside matches up with your claims. By that time, the scammer has any money you sent, and you're stuck paying the money back to the bank. You must submit your request in writing by mail or email. Completely agree that movies and media have caused an unfortunate and exaggerated view of AI. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. Recent complaints to the FTC show that scammers are: So how can you tell whether an FTC refund is real? 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 .gov means its official. FTC to provide $172 million in refunds to victims of Progressive

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