How to Claim Your Share of the $5.6 Million Ring Settlement

How to Claim Your Share of the $5.6 Million Ring Settlement

The Federal Trade Commission said this week that some people who have purchased certain home security cameras made by Ring, which is owned by Amazon, will be eligible for refunds on their purchases. The payment, totaling more than $5.6 million, was part of a settlement between Ring and the F.T.C. on allegations that the company failed to protect customer accounts.

Here’s what to know.

What is a lawsuit?
F.T.C. sued Ring last May, accusing the company of giving employees and contractors access to private video recordings of customers. The agency said in its complaint that Ring had used videos to train computer algorithms without first obtaining customer consent. Ring also failed to have proper safeguards in place, which made customer accounts, videos and cameras more vulnerable to hacking, the F.T.C. said.

F.T.C. and Ring reached a settlement that month. As part of the deal, Ring paid a settlement that would be used to refund customers, delete all private videos it shouldn’t be able to access and establish a privacy and security program. F.T.C. is currently using paid Ring money to send 117,044 PayPal payments to affected customers.

Ring did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But in a statement after the settlement, Ring said that it addressed issues about its security and privacy practices “before” the F.T.C. lawsuit, and that the agency “mischaracterized our security practices and ignored many of the protections we provide for our customers.”

How do I know if I’m eligible for a refund?
If you have a Ring account and certain types of Ring devices, such as Stick Up Cam and Indoor Cam models, before Feb. 1. 2018, you are entitled to a refund, according to the court order.

Defendants — in this case, Ring — are usually required to provide a list of customers, their contact information and the amount they paid. F.T.C. will use the information to send the payment.

Eligible customers should have received an email from the F.T.C.

How much will I receive?
Your payout depends on the type of Ring device you have and how long you’ve had your account.

I got a PayPal payment from the F.T.C. How do I know if it’s true?
If you are eligible for a refund, you should receive an email from the agency (from [email protected]) by Tuesday. Since the payment was released on Tuesday, you should have received another email from PayPal about the refund. You must redeem the payment by May 22nd, or it will be returned to the F.T.C.

If you want the F.T.C. to send you a check, or have any other questions about payment, you can speak to the refund administrator, Rust Consulting, by calling 1-833-637-4884. You can also send your request via email to [email protected].