Here's what to know if you expect a refund check. You dont need a machine to predict what the FTC might do when those claims are unsupported. But one thing is for sure: its a marketing term. 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. You can find the phone numbers for FTC refund programs at ftc.gov/refunds. . I feel you folks (at the FTC) have the moral high-ground to put a TEMPORARY PAUSE on the premature unleashing of what some knowledgeable people predict ** could ** result in . The FTC first sent payments in this matter in May 2020, which resulted in more than $8.4 million in refunds. If you do not have a PayPal account, and would prefer to get a check, please call1-866-898-5106. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission. A total of 17,367 checks worth more than a total of $3.7 million are being sent to borrowers from an FTC settlement with Avant LLC. Before making AI widely available . Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. Consumers who receive checks should cash them by August 17, 2022. FTC court orders typically require the defendants to provide a list of customers, along with their contact information, and how much they paid. In reality, the FTC says, consumers paid a fee only to . We wont post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups. 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. Like any product, you have to do your research. Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. They tell you to send some of the money back to them or to another person. For example, were not yet living in the realm of science fiction, where computers can generally make trustworthy predictions of human behavior. Or even claiming it can do something beyond the current capability of any AI or automated technology? 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, These scams work because fake checks generally look just like real checks, even to bank employees. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. Choose "Office Depot" from the "Select a Case" box in the top right corner, then click on your state on the map. does not issue 1099s or other tax documents to refund recipients. The .gov means its official. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. The FTC is sending out 541,247 checks averaging $63.35 per check. Generally, the FTC does not issue 1099s or other tax documents to refund recipients. An official website of the United States government. 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. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. If you receive a 1099 tax form with your check, you should report the payment as income on your tax return. We review all comments before they are posted, and we wont post comments that dont comply with our commenting policy. Data on FTC refunds are available in interactive online dashboards. 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. They are often printed with the names and addresses of legitimate financial institutions. If you have questions about your AMG refund check, go to the FTC's AMG refunds page, or call the refunds administrator at 1-866-730-8174. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. Scammers sometimes send emails that pretend to be from the FTC or a company you know. The site is secure. Heres what you need to know about these calls. The .gov means its official. So far, weve heard that scammers have given job applicants a check that looks like an AMG refund check, and then asked people to deposit the check and use the money to go buy supplies for the supposed employer. A computer takes over a spaceship. If you receive a 1099 tax form with your check, you should report the payment as income on your tax return. Spot the latest COVID scams, get compliance guidance, and stay up to date on FTC actions during the pandemic. Use our visualizations to explore scam and fraud trends in your state based on reports from consumers like you. Marketers should know that for FTC enforcement purposes false or unsubstantiated claims about a products efficacy are our bread and butter. But one thing is for sure: its a marketing term. Once payments have been issued, PayPal sends an email telling recipients about their refund. In these cases, we send an email from the FTC (subscribe@subscribe.ftc.gov) to payment recipients prior to payment. . How can a TEMPORARY PAUSE be put on a technology that is being unleashed faster than high-tech firms can safely deploy / control it? And weve heard from many of you that you got your check and cashed it. Please call for details. And remember that the FTC will never require you to pay fees in advance, or ask for sensitive information, like your bank account number. Because the FTC recovered additional money from the defendants, the agency is sending a second round of payments. 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 comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. The company added these charges without the customers permission and did not investigate when customers complained about them. How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and help your kids do the same. to fully refund people for the amount they paid to, , a company that the FTC says collected payments for fake debt by threatening to sue or arrest people who didnt pay. Thanks, Your comments above are So Well stated. 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. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission. Ifyou have any otherquestions, please call the refund administrator at1-800-591-4238. Last year, to people who lost money to companies the FTC sued. Its not uncommon for advertisers to say that some new-fangled technology makes their product better perhaps to justify a higher price or influence labor decisions. We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. The chart below includes recent FTC cases that resulted in refunds. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. If there is still money available in the settlement fund, we may be able to reissue your payment. Dont do it! 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. Liable for $280 Million in Consumer Harm Caused by the IWorks Scheme, IWorks Billing Scheme Ringleader Agrees to Settle FTC Charges, I Works Billing Scheme Defendant Agrees to Settle FTC Charges. And remember that the FTC will never require you to pay fees in advance, or ask for sensitive information, like your bank account number. Whenever theres an FTC refund program, information is available at ftc.gov/refunds. The site is secure. We review all comments before they are posted, and we wont post comments that dont comply with our commenting policy. Search the Legal Library instead. The FTC works to fulfill its mission in many ways, including bringing cases against companies who are being unfair or deceptive. 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. Are you aware of the risks? We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect. They may even, What To Do If You Sent Money to a Scammer, Here is a list of gift cards that scammers often use. We wont post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. 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. The FTC never requires you to pay fees or asks you for sensitive information, like your Social Security number or bank account information. Except for these administrative costs, the FTC tries to return all the money collected for refunds to injured consumers. 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. For questions about your check or the refund process, call the administrator (Rust Consulting) at 1-866-730-8147, or email admin@AMGServicesRefund.com . And remember, the FTC never requires you to pay money or give account information to cash a refund check. To get data about this mailing - like how many checks went to your state or the percentage of checks cashed so far - visit the FTC's interactive dashboard for refund data. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. The FTC is sending refund checks to consumers who lost money as a result of Avant's lending practices. Search the Legal Library instead. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Heres what you need to know about these calls. In these cases, we send an email from the FTC (subscribe@subscribe.ftc.gov) to payment recipients prior to payment. Use our visualizations to explore scam and fraud trends in your state based on reports from consumers like you. The site is secure. Its an ambiguous term with many possible definitions. Please call for details. 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 findanswers tocommon questions about refund payments onour FAQ page. with many possible definitions. I went through your questions and our process conforms to them, we say that AI isn't magic, it is math. 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. Your best bet: Dont rely on money from a check unless you know and trust the person youre dealing with. Click on a case name to see more details about the refund program, including whether we sent checks or PayPal payments. Search the Legal Library instead. Please call for details. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission. GIGO is a term we use in tech. In one version of the scam, you get a call and a recorded message that says its Amazon. 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. It often refers to a variety of technological tools and techniques that use computation to perform tasks such as predictions, decisions, or recommendations. Otherwise, do some research online. We cannot send payments until all legal action is complete, and we have collected the money from the defendants. In one version of the scam, you get a call and a recorded message that says its Amazon. Have you heard about it? couch and chair set leather An official website of the United States government. How much money from FTC lawsuits goes to FTC attorneys. If we do not have all the information we need to send refunds, we may request that consumers file a claim. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. Reportedly, there will be 12,072 checks sent, averaging around $53 each. Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. It can take weeks for a bank to figure out that the check is a fake. Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. If someone claims to be from the FTC and asks for money, its a scam. FTC attorneys and other staff are paid a salary from the agencys annual budget. The FTC currently issues payments by check, prepaid debit card,and PayPal. Are you promising that your AI product does something better than a non-AI product? In fact, they're a preferred payment method for large transactions, such as real estate purchases. The .gov means its official. Please, doTERRA distributors charged with making unfounded COVID-19 cure claims, Tenant screening practices: the FTC wants to learn more. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. 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, FTC Sends Checks Totaling More Than $31 Million to LifeLock Customers, LifeLock to Pay $100 Million to Consumers to Settle FTC Charges it Violated 2010 Order, FTC Takes Action Against LifeLock for Alleged Violations of 2010 Order, Nearly One Million LifeLock Victims to Receive Refund Checks from FTC, LifeLock Will Pay $12 Million to Settle Charges by the FTC and 35 States That Identity Theft Prevention and Data Security Claims Were False. 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. In some cases, this lack of efficacy may exist regardless of what other harm the products might cause. You can be sure the phone numbers and links on this page are legit. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. Looking for legal documents or records? After that and some critical thinking, folks can ask the questions you laid out above and make their judgements. And you cant say youre not responsible because that technology is a black box you cant understand or didnt know how to test. How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and help your kids do the same. What to do about unwanted calls, emails, and text messages that can be annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. How long will it take to send out payments? . If you are eligible, you will automatically receive a payment. Breathless media accounts dont help, but it starts with the companies that do the developing and selling. , along with the name of the company issuing payments and a phone number for questions. We review all comments before they are posted, and we wont post comments that dont comply with our commenting policy. 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. Yes, the FTC sometimes uses PayPal to distribute refunds. 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. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. Refund amounts will depend on how much the FTC is able to collect from the defendants and how many people lost money. To find out which recent FTC cases led to refunds, and who to contact with questions, check out ftc.gov/refunds. The irony. Lots of scammers use fake checks to get your money. 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. Wow, just noticed I have to provide labeled data for CV ML to post this. Weve. Whitney Moore, Attorney, FTC Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents, And what exactly is artificial intelligence anyway? 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. 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. And yes he cut across. " To verify the check is from the FTC, go to ftc.gov/amg. . The FTC never requires you to pay fees or asks you for sensitive information, like your Social Security number or bank account information. Can I speak to someone about my claim form or payment? Search the Legal Library instead. Does the FTC publish statistical information about its refund programs? The refund checks in total will amount to more than $644,000. You need to know about the reasonably foreseeable risks and impact of your AI product before putting it on the market. AI as just a magnification / catalyst to human miss behavior. And you cant say youre not responsible because that technology is a black box you cant understand or didnt know how to test. 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. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. Identifying who is eligible for a refund FTC court orders typically require the company to provide a list of customers, their contact information, and how much each customer paid. Looking for legal documents or records? To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. 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. Start small, then add on. If there is any money left in the settlement fund after the first distribution, the FTC may send a second round of payments. Payments are expected to be issued between October 2022 and January 2023. Ifyou have any otherquestions, please call the refund administrator at1-800-591-4238. If you have any questions about how your payment may affect your taxes, please consult a tax advisor. . If you get a refund from the FTC, just deposit or cash the check within 60 days. It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you get a call from someone who says theyre from the FTC but asks you for money or sensitive information, please tell the real FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. Learn about getting and using credit, borrowing money, and managing debt. What to know when you're looking for a job or more education, or considering a money-making opportunity or investment. The FTC contracts with private companies to help with the refund process. Fake checks might look like business or personal checks, cashiers checks, money orders, or a check delivered electronically. The Federal Trade Commission announced this week that it would send thousands of checks totaling more than $822,000 to student loan borrowers who lost money in a debt-relief scheme. In addition, the agency is resending checks to more than 33,000 people who didnt previously cash their check. Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. . This article do apply to all the trendy or great KPI messages Marketing people provide: Marketing claims should be backed and supported by evidence and proof points. Estimate your payment amount Weve just heard, though, that scammers are trying to get into the act, using fake checks that look like the real one. I need a new check because of a legal name change, a death, or a spelling error. Most FTC cases do not require you to file a claim. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect. After letting those initial feelings subside, I think it is a great article and I have sent it to several DOD friends. It a stationary object, we see it action path cross that about to happen. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to. 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. Looking for legal documents or records? And remember that the FTC will never ask you to pay money or give your account info to get a refund. 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 may routinely use these records as described in the FTCsPrivacy Act system notices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. And weve heard from many of you that you got your check and cashed it. We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. Report that to us at, doTERRA distributors charged with making unfounded COVID-19 cure claims, Tenant screening practices: the FTC wants to learn more. You must submit your request in writing by mail or email. This was almost too well said maybe they used a chatbot to edit? We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. to 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. Hold Billing Services, Ltd.; Avery Communications, Inc.; Veterans of America Association, Ltd.; et al. The site is secure. Whenever possible, the FTC uses the money it collects from defendants to provide refunds to injured consumers. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. A payment or claim form sent as part of an FTC settlement will include an explanation of and details about the case. But the fact is that some products with AI claims might not even work as advertised in the first place. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. A monster rises in a lab. In one version of the scam, you get a call and a recorded message that says its Amazon. But the fact is that some products with AI claims might not even work as advertised in the first place. The FTC is sending checks to people who lost money to a cramming scheme that added charges to their home phone bills without their permission. If so, information about how to file a claim will be available at www.ftc.gov/refunds. According to the FTC case, Avant falsely advertised to customers that it would accept loan payments by card. It is our goal to send payments within 6 months of receiving the data and money necessary for distribution. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTCsPrivacy Act system notices. Have you heard about it? If something goes wrong maybe it fails or yields biased results you cant just blame a third-party developer of the technology. An official website of the United States government. If you receive a PayPal payment, you have 30 days to accept it. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. Are you promising that your AI product does something better than a non-AI product? And its happy news when those cases result in refunds. FTC court orders typically require the defendants to provide a list of customers, along with their contact information, and how much they paid. 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. We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. It often refers to a variety of technological tools and techniques that use computation to perform tasks such as predictions, decisions, or recommendations. Or can all this be simply ignored? Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. The FTC enforces consumer protection laws to stop illegal business practices and get refunds to people who lost money. Heres what you need to know if you get a check from the FTCs settlement with AMG: Has someone asked you for something in exchange for your AMG refund check? If you have any other questions, please call the refund administrator at1-888-304-0228. 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. Its not uncommon for advertisers to say that some new-fangled technology makes their product better perhaps to justify a higher price or influence labor decisions. Legitimate cashier's checks are nearly risk-free and harder for scam artists to abuse. 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. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. 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 . Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. 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. If I accept this payment, can I still take legal action?
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