FTC Returning Almost $25 Million to Consumers Worldwide Who Were Defrauded by Next-Gen Sweepstakes Scheme
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is sending payments to 244,745 consumers in the U.S. and abroad who were defrauded by the Next-Gen sweepstakes scheme that affected consumers in dozens of countries, including the United States and Canada.
In total, the FTC is returning almost $25 million to affected consumers including many seniors. The FTC is sending:
- 221,687 checks totaling $19,180,753 to U.S. and Canadian consumers;
- 3,516 prepaid Mastercard debit cards totaling $631,322 to consumers in the United Kingdom, which will be hand-delivered by U.K. National Trading Standards, a consumer protection and business safeguards organization; and
- 19,542 letters to consumers in more than 50 different countries explaining how they can claim their payments via PayPal, which total $4,696,242.
The FTC appreciates the support provided in this case by the U.K. National Trading Standards Scams Team and our other international partners. Their assistance contributed to the success of the FTC’s case and helped ensure that victims worldwide benefit from this refund program. The FTC relied on key provisions of the U.S. SAFE WEB Act, which allows the FTC to share information with foreign counterparts to combat deceptive and unfair practices that cross national borders.