Refund Process Initiated by FTC for Epic Games Users Following Settlement

The Federal Trade Commission in the US has begun refunding consumers affected by Epic Games' alleged use of deceptive practices, resulting in unintended purchases. More than $72 million in refunds will be disbursed, with an average refund amount of around $114, according to the FTC. An initial batch of 629,344 payments is currently being sent, consisting of both checks and PayPal payments, with the remaining refunds to be issued at a later time. This development is part of a settlement agreement reached in December 2022, in which Epic Games was ordered to pay over $500 million to resolve FTC charges. The settlement included $275 million for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and $245 million for employing dark patterns that misled millions of players into making unintentional purchases. The FTC started notifying eligible consumers about the refunds in September 2023, covering over 37 million individuals.