View source for News/FTC Starts Issuing Refunds to Fortnite Players

{{News
|seo_title=FTC Starts Issuing Refunds to Fortnite Players
|seo_keywords=Fortnite
|image=Epic_Games.PNG
|tags=Epic Games
|date=2024-12-11T13:21:47.000Z
|sources={{NewsSource
|source=Yahoo
|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fortnite-players-tricked-unwanted-purchases-165736128.html
|article=News/FTC Starts Issuing Refunds to Fortnite Players
}}
|author=Andura
|category=Drama
|game=Fortnite
|content=The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has started sending out refund checks to U.S. consumers who were tricked into making unwanted purchases while playing Fortnite, the popular video game from [[Companies/Epic Games|Epic Games]].

In 2022, Epic agreed to pay $520 million to settle allegations related to deceptive practices involving children’s privacy and in-game purchases. The FTC accused the company of using design tactics that caused players, particularly children, to make unintended purchases with just a click of a button. For instance, players could be charged while trying to wake the game from sleep mode or by accidentally pressing a button when previewing an item.

As part of the settlement, Epic Games agreed to pay $275 million in penalties for violating children’s privacy laws by collecting personal information from players under age 13, in addition to $245 million designated for customer refunds. The FTC announced this week that it has begun distributing the first round of those refunds.

According to the FTC, over 629,000 payments are being sent out to eligible consumers who filed claims. Approximately half of the refunds will be processed through PayPal, while the remainder will be issued as checks. PayPal payments must be redeemed within 30 days, while checks should be cashed within 90 days. The average refund amount is about $114, and the total value of this initial batch is over $72 million, with $173 million still to be distributed in future payments.

Consumers who were affected by these practices can still apply for a refund online.
}}