NEWS
Users Can Now Claim Fortnite Refunds As Part of FTC Settlement
Courtesy of fortnite/Instagram
Parents of kids who made in-game purchases in the popular Fortnite video game without their knowledge could soon receive their piece of a $520 million settlement finalized last year.
The Federal Trade Commission announced in December 2022 that Fortnite maker Epic Games would have to pay $520 million in fines and refunds to settle claims violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and “deployed design tricks, known as dark patterns, to dupe millions of players into making unintentional purchases.”
Epic was fined $275 million for collecting the personal data of users under age 13 without informing or receiving consent from their parents, the largest fine ever issued for violating an FTC rule, the agency said at the time.
Fortnite, though free to download, charges users for in-game currency known as V-Bucks, as well as virtual items such as outfits, loot crates and dance moves.
“Epic put children and teens at risk through its lax privacy practices, and cost consumers millions in illegal charges through its use of dark patterns,” Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement announcing the settlement. “Under the proposed orders announced today, the company will be required to change its default settings, return millions to consumers, and pay a record-breaking penalty for its privacy abuses.”
Of the total settlement, $245 million is earmarked for customer refunds. The FTC on Tuesday announced the claims process for those who may be entitled to compensation. The agency said it is in the process of notifying more than 37 million people by email that they may be eligible.
According to the FTC, users may be eligible for a refund if they were charged in-game currency for items you didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022; if their child made charges to your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018; or if their account was locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after complaining to their credit card company about wrongful charges.
Users have until Jan. 17, 2024, to submit a claim, information on which can be found at www.ftc.gov/Fortnite.
TMX contributed to this article.
