44°
According to data provided by the Federal Trade Commission, since July 2018 more than 99,000 Massachusetts residents have been bilked out of $17.65 million through savings and loans, unauthorized debts and charges, grant, and payday loan scams among other types of deception.
When the FTC sends refunds, it usually uses customer lists and contact information it gets from the defendants, the FTC said. If that information isn’t available, the agency may ask people to file a claim or use its Consumer Sentinel database to find people who are eligible for a refund.
To see if you are eligible for a refund, visit the sentinel database as well as the FTC online.
THE MOST REFUNDS IN MA
From July 2018 through 2020, the businesses that had to pay refunds to the most Massachusetts residents were, according to the FTC:
- AMG Services, which operated a payday loan scheme and had to refund money to 20,500 Massachusetts residents
- LifeLock settled with the FTC over allegations it had not properly secured consumer’s personal information and ran false advertisements. Refunds were due to 13,500 Massachusetts residents
- J.K. Publications, which made unauthorized charges for unknown products, returned money to 8,120 people
- Sale Slash LLC, which sold deceptively marketed weight loss products, returned money to 5,400 recipients
- Allstar Marketing Group (Merchandise Direct), which ran deceptive ads for buy-one-get-one-free products, returned money to 3,800 recipients
- NetSpend, which got in trouble for the way it marketed its prepaid debit cards, returned money to 3,690 recipients
- Lights of America, which misrepresented the output of its LED bulbs, refunded 3,460 recipients
- Triangle Media settled allegations it provided not so “risk-free” trials on at-home/cagtalog purchases and refunded money to 3,330 Massachusetts people
- Health Formulas (Simple Pure), which was caught charging people for “free trials” on health care products, refunded 3,200 recipients
- I Works, which offered deceptive “trial” memberships and bogus government grant- and money-making schemes refunded 3,000 recipients.
THE MOST MONEY PAID
The companies that paid the highest total dollar amount in refunds to Massachusetts residents were:
- AMG Services, which refunded $9.8 million to Massachusetts residents
- Herbalife, which refunded $1.9 million to state residents
- Uber, refunded $606,000
- One Technologies refunded $419,000
- LifeLock, refunded $374,000
- The Tax Club, refunded $294,000
- I Works, refunded $265,000
- Standard Industries, refunded $240,000
- Helping America Group, refunded $229,000.
THE LARGEST MEDIAN REFUNDS
The companies with the largest median refunds to Massachusetts people, according to first payments, were:
- Sellers Playbook, which provided a median refund of $3,300
- Regenerative Medical Group, $2,698 median refund
- A to Z Marketing, $1,107 median refund
- Treasure Your Success (WV Universal Management), $994 median refund
- Expense Management America, $942 median refund.
For a full listing of cases brought and refunds issued by the Federal Trade Commission, visit the FTC's refund database, ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds
Click here to follow Daily Voice Worcester and receive free news updates.
