The Federal Trade Commission has launched a refund claims process for some consumers who were charged for a subscription to the anonymous messaging app NGL without their authorization.
In July 2024, the Federal Trade Commission and Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office alleged that NGL and two of its co-founders engaged in a host of law violations related to their anonymous messaging app, including unfairly marketing the service to children and teens. The agencies charged NGL and its co-founders with sending fake messages that appeared to come from real people and tricked users into signing up for paid subscriptions to NGL Pro by falsely claiming that doing so would reveal the identity of the senders of messages.
NGL and its co-founders also failed to obtain consent for recurring charges, the agencies alleged. The order settling the agencies’ complaint banned the defendants from marketing anonymous messaging apps to kids and teens under 18 and required them to pay $4.5 million to provide refunds to impacted users.
The FTC is using that money to provide payments to customers who meet the following requirements:
- paid for NGL Pro between January 2022 and July 2024; and
- experienced unauthorized charges.
Consumers must be at least 18 years old to submit a refund claim form. Users under 18 need their parent or guardian to complete and submit the form on their behalf. All claims will be reviewed before eligibility is determined.
Consumers who meet these requirements can submit a claim online at www.ftc.gov/NGL. The claims period will be open until April 6, 2026. The FTC will review and validate claims. Payment amounts will depend on several factors, including how many people file claims. Consumers who have questions about the process can contact the claims administrator by phone at 800-351-7161 or by email at info@NGLRefund.com.