FTC Sends Refunds to Ring Customers Stemming from 2023 Settlement over Charges the Company Failed to Block Employees and Hackers from Accessing Consumer Videos (2024)

FAQs

FTC Sends Refunds to Ring Customers Stemming from 2023 Settlement over Charges the Company Failed to Block Employees and Hackers from Accessing Consumer Videos? ›

The Federal Trade Commission is sending refunds totaling more than $5.6 million to consumers as the result of a settlement with Ring over charges the company allowed employees and contractors to access consumers' private videos and failed to implement security protections, enabling hackers to take control of consumers' ...

In some cases, hackers took control of customer accounts, cameras, and videos. The settlement required Ring to pay money, delete videos it shouldn't have, and establish a strong privacy and security program. The FTC is now using that money to provide refunds to eligible Ring customers.

Sending refunds

FTC staff independently reviews each distribution, checks the proposed list of recipients against the master list, and investigates any discrepancies before approving a distribution. The agency also conducts payment audits to verify that only the rightful recipients received payments.

You can see Ring's response and disagreement with the FTC's action on its blog here. Ring reports that, "While we disagree with the FTC's allegations and deny violating the law, this settlement resolves this matter so we can focus on innovating on behalf of our customers."

Is there a claim form for the Ring settlement? Unlike a typical class action settlement, there is no Amazon Ring camera settlement claim form. Instead, the FTC notified consumers who are eligible for a refund directly via email, and payments will be sent automatically to those eligible consumers via PayPal.

Are you owed a Ring refund? If you used an indoor Ring camera or other product prior to May 2023 and have questions about if you qualify for a refund from the settlement, you can contact the FTC's refund administrator at (833) 637-4884. You can also view the FTC's frequently asked questions about refunds page online.

If the FTC contacts you about a refund, you'll find information about the case at ftc.gov/refunds.You can be sure the phone numbers and links on this page are legit. The FTC never requires you to pay fees or asks you for sensitive information, like your Social Security number or bank account information.

You have 30 days from the date you received your device(s) to request a full refund with no questions asked. You may have additional rights under applicable law, and our returns policy does not affect such rights. To return your item, please contact Customer Support to request a return label.

Kevin Poireault. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will send a total of $5.6m in refunds to customers of Ring, a home camera provider, as the result of a settlement with Ring over security and privacy failings.

In addition, the FTC enforces the Health Breach Notification Rule, which requires certain organizations (both businesses and nonprofits) not covered by HIPAA to notify their customers, the FTC, and, in some cases, the media, if there's a breach of unsecured, individually identifiable health information.

Did the FTC send PayPal payments to eligible Ring customers? ›

The FTC is utilizing the settlement funds to provide refunds to eligible Ring customers, with over 117,000 individuals set to receive payments via PayPal. Consumers who qualify for refunds are urged to accept their PayPal payments within 30 days to ensure timely processing.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $5.6 million in refunds to consumers as part of a settlement with Amazon-owned Ring, which was charged with failing to protect private video footage from outside access.

Without Ring Protect, you can still view real time video for Ring Video Doorbells and Security Cameras, and answer general motion and doorbell notifications when they happen, but you don't get video recordings of these events. Compare Ring Protect Basic and Plus subscription plans. Learn about Ring Video Doorbells.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $5.6 million in refunds to consumers as part of a settlement with Amazon-owned Ring, which was charged with failing to protect private video footage from outside access.

It will also never contact consumers to demand money, threaten to arrest or deport them, or promise a prize. If someone claims to work for the FTC and makes any of these demands or threats, they are a scammer.

Ring has long sparked controversy about privacy due to its controversial partnerships with hundreds of police departments across the U.S. Privacy advocates have expressed concern that the program, and Ring's accompanying Neighbors app, have heightened the risk of racial profiling and turned residents into informants, ...

You can return the engagement ring to the original jewelry shop if you have discussed the return policy. Some jewelry shops accept a full refund for non-personalized engagement rings. It is rare to find a jewelry shop that accepts a full refund.