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Are you a parent who had a child cash in on Fortnite “V Bucks” without your approval? Well, good news for you! Parents can now apply to receive refunds on unauthorized in-app purchases made on Fortnite.

In a move towards remediation, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initiated a portal for claims concerning Fortnite on Tuesday. This development allows parents to file for reimbursements for in-app acquisitions made without their consent.

Who is eligible?
The criteria include individuals billed for unwanted items via “in-game currency” from January 2017 to September 2022, parents whose children engaged in unauthorized credit card transactions between January 2017 and November 2018, and those whose accounts were suspended after lodging complaints regarding the charges from January 2017 to September 2022.

This refund program emerged following a substantial settlement reached in March, which saw the FTC alleging Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, devising deceptive tactics to induce users into initiating unwarranted purchases. The practices, termed as “dark patterns” by the FTC, encompassed “counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration” that inadvertently resulted in users, including minors, incurring charges against their will.

In addition, Epic reportedly locked the accounts of users who raised disputes over wrongful billing through their credit card firms. Reaching $245 million as a penalty, Epic is to channel these funds to facilitate the refunds, a part of a broader agreement amounting to $520 million, inclusive of a $275 million fine over breaching the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.