Thousands of Publishers Clearing House customers set to get refund over misleading emails, FTC says
CBSN
Publishers Clearing House is known for giving money away in sweepstakes and other contests. Now it's offering a different kind of payout — a refund for customers who may have been deceived by the direct marketing company.
The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that the agency has mailed checks totaling over $18 million to nearly 282,000 PCH consumers who the FTC says were misled by the Jericho, New York, company's "deceptive and unfair" practices.
Specifically, regulators alleged in a 2023 lawsuit that PCH used "dark patterns" to trick customers into thinking they had to make a purchase to enter the sweepstakes, or increase their odds of winning. The FTC also said PCH sent emails to people with deceptive subject lines suggesting they were related to official government documents, like tax forms.
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