Fortnite players 'tricked' into unwanted purchases are starting to get refunds. Here's how to apply
U.S. consumers who were tricked into purchases they didn’t want from Fortnite maker Epic Games are now starting to receive refund checks, the Federal Trade Commission said this week
NEW YORK — U.S. consumers who were “tricked” into purchases they didn't want from Fortnite maker Epic Games are now starting to receive refund checks, the Federal Trade Commission said this week.
Back in 2022, Epic agreed to pay a total of $520 million to settle complaints revolving around children’s privacy and payment methods on its popular Fortnite game. The FTC alleged the video game giant used deceptive online design tactics to trick Fortnite players, including children, into making unintended purchases “based on the press of a single button."
Consumers could be charged while doing something as simple as attempting the wake the game from sleep mode, for example, or by pressing a nearby button when trying to preview an item, the agency said. The FTC also accused Epic of blocking some users who disputed the charges from accessing the content they purchased.
Beyond a $275 million fine related to collecting personal information on players under the age of 13, the settlement included $245 million in customer refunds. Now, the first batch of those refunds are being sent out.
On Monday, the FTC announced it was sending over 629,00 payments to eligible customers who submitted claims. About half of those refunds are PayPal payments, which should be redeemed within 30 days, and the rest are checks, which should be cashed within 90 days.
The average refund is about $114, the FTC noted. This first round of payments amounts to a total of more than $72 million, according to the agency — leaving about $173 million left to be distributed.
Impacted
Read more on abcnews.go.com
