The Federal Trade Commission is mailing checks totaling nearly $1.1 million to 87,256 consumers who paid for work-at-home opportunities based on the allegedly deceptive advertising practices of Bob Robinson, LLC and other related defendants. The defendants operated under various brand names, including Work At Home EDU, Work At Home Program, Work At Home Ecademy, Work At Home University, Work At Home Revenue, and Work at Home Institute.
The refunds stem from an FTC settlement in which the defendants used online “native” advertising—promotional content that resembles the non-advertising material beside it—to reach consumers who were researching work-at-home opportunities on the internet. The defendants routinely claimed people could earn “hundreds of dollars per hour from home, without any special skills or experience.” The FTC alleged the defendants failed to make certain required disclosures to help consumers evaluate the business opportunity, and made false and unsubstantiated earnings claims.
Consumers who have questions about the refunds should contact the FTC’s refund administrator, Analytics LLC, at 844-836-7130. Recipients should deposit or cash checks within 60 days, as indicated on the check. The FTC never requires people to pay money or provide account information to cash a refund check.
FTC law enforcement actions led to more than $2.3 billion in refunds for consumers in a one-year period between July 2017 and June 2018. To learn more about the FTC’s refund program, visit www.ftc.gov/refunds.
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