Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission is mailing 1,251 checks totaling more than $647,000 to non-profit organizations, churches, schools, small businesses, and volunteers that were tricked into buying office supply products at higher prices or in larger quantities than they had agreed upon.

In December 2015, the FTC charged the operators of Liberty Supply Company, an office supply scheme, with bilking millions of dollars from consumers by misrepresenting prices and quantities, and then demanding payment or forcing consumers to pay hefty shipping and restocking fees to return the unwanted or overpriced products.

In March 2017, the operators settled with the FTC and a federal court granted an order permanently banning the defendants from telemarketing and from misrepresenting any product or service in the future.

The average refund amount is $517.76. Recipients should deposit or cash checks by January 27, 2019, as indicated on the check. The FTC never requires people to pay money or provide account information to cash a refund check. To learn more about the case, contact the FTC’s refund administrator at 1-877-435-4069.

To learn more about the FTC’s refund program, visit www.ftc.gov/refunds.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.