FTC Refunds $18 Million to Eligible Publishers Clearing House Customers

More than 281,000 people will receive checks after the company’s 2023 settlement over allegedly deceptive ‘dark-pattern’ sales tactics.

The Federal Trade Commission in Washington on Jan. 9, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on April 30 that it had begun sending refund checks totaling $18 million to 281,724 people who bought merchandise from Publishers Clearing House (PCH) after clicking on sweepstakes-themed emails that the agency alleged were deceptive.

Each check must be cashed within 90 days and arrives automatically—no forms or fees are required.