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. Stephanie T. Nguyen, Chief Technology Officer, Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents, You can findanswers tocommon questions about refund payments on. FTC court orders typically require the defendants to provide a list of customers, along with their contact information, and how much they paid. We wont post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups. Popular banking scams. Anyone who does is scamming you. You can find the phone numbers for current FTC refunds programs at ftc.gov/refunds. 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. 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. The FTC does not require you to forfeit any rights you may have under federal or state law to get your refund. An official website of the United States government. When the funds are made available in your account, the bank may say the check has cleared, but that doesnt mean its a good check. Whenever theres an FTC refund program, information is available at. The agency is sending refund checks to two million people over the next two weeks. Click on a case name to see more details about the refund program, including whether we sent checks or PayPal payments. We review all comments before they are posted, and we wont post comments that dont comply with our commenting policy. on the long-run . Overview The Middle Class Tax Refund (MCTR) is a one-time payment to provide relief to Californians. 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. Spot the latest COVID scams, get compliance guidance, and stay up to date on FTC actions during the pandemic. Search the Legal Library instead. The FTC is sending a second round of payments totaling more than $8 million to59,187 peoplewho were lured by the bogus government-grant and money-making schemes promoted by I Works. An official website of the United States government. to remember what Forbidden Planet / Lost in Spaces Robby the Robot said . An official website of the United States government. 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. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to. 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. Will I receive any more money? If you have questions about your AMG refund check, go to the, Legit employers will never pay you by telling you to deposit a check and wir. . An official website of the United States government. Ifyou have any otherquestions, please call the refund administrator at1-800-591-4238. Clear case of over promising. We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. We must wait for PayPal to return the payment before we can begin processing check reissues. 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. If you get a check, please cash it within 90 days. If you get a PayPal payment, please accept it within 30 days. Generally, after the initial distribution, we process check reissues once a month. The FTC is sending refund checks to consumers who lost money as a result of Avant's lending practices. If you receive a PayPal payment, you have 30 days to accept it. 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. This was almost too well said maybe they used a chatbot to edit? 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. We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. It is your choice whether to submit a comment. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. But the check was fake, so you'll have to pay your bank the amount of the check, plus you'll lose any money you wired. Looking for legal documents or records? We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Otherwise, do some research online. How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and help your kids do the same. 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. Once payments have been issued,PayPal sends an email telling recipients about their refund. According to the FTC case, Avant falsely advertised to customers that it would accept loan payments by card. If you have any other questions, please call the refund administrator at1-888-304-0228. And all manner of robots serve or control us. In one version of the scam, you get a call and a recorded message that says its Amazon. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. Whatever it can or cant do, AI is important, and so are the claims you make about it. Whenever possible, the FTC uses the money it collects from defendants to provide refunds to injured consumers. To find out which recent FTC cases led to refunds, and who to contact with questions, check out, . Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. If there is any money left in the settlement fund after the first distribution, the FTC may send a second round of payments. Find the resources you need to understand how consumer protection law impacts your business. with many possible definitions. Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. . FTC attorneys and other staff are paid a salary from the agencys annual budget. A.I accelerate till the camer tell it the cars are all stopped. You dont have to pay for an FTC refund, and you dont have to give any information to cash a refund check. Your several brief paragraphs are a great example of what is needed for " Responsible AI.". You are driving down a rod you see a guy waiting to cut across to get to the other lane so you see him look the other way and see a whole line of car coming so you slow down as you know he was inching forward. 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. Got questions about your refund? Stephanie T. Nguyen, Chief Technology Officer, Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents, According to a complaint filed by theFTC,LifeLock, failed to establish and maintain a comprehensive information security program. Weve already warned businesses to avoid using automated tools that have biased or discriminatory impacts. After settling with First Data Merchant Services 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. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. What to do about unwanted calls, emails, and text messages that can be annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams. You can find and verify the phone numbers for FTC refund programs at, In these cases, we send an email from the FTC (. ) . 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. AI as just a magnification / catalyst to human miss behavior. 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. If you get a check, please cash it within 90 days. Report that to us at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Consumers who receive checks should cash them by August 17, 2022. How much money from FTC lawsuits goes to FTC attorneys. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy. 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. I believe they want to make distinctions on the danger level of various deployment aims and scope of the AI implementations. Hold Billing Services, Ltd.; Avery Communications, Inc.; Veterans of America Association, Ltd.; et al. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. I went through your questions and our process conforms to them, we say that AI isn't magic, it is math. Can I speak to someone about my claim form or payment? To find out which recent FTC cases led to refunds, and who to contact with questions, check out ftc.gov/refunds. The company ran multiple online campaigns that falsely advertised that federal grants were generally available for personal use and that people could make a lot of money using I Works products. Choose "Office Depot" from the "Select a Case" box in the top right corner, then click on your state on the map. They tell you to send some of the money back to them or to another person. Heres what you need to know about these calls. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. For example, were not yet living in the realm of science fiction, where computers can generally make trustworthy predictions of human behavior.