Scam alert
A Call About a Prime Refund? The FTC Is Not Calling
Published · United States · ftc.gov · Arrives by a phone call, a text, or an email
The short answer
A real refund program from the Federal Trade Commission's Amazon Prime settlement is expanding on October 1, 2026, which is exactly the kind of news that brings copycat calls. The FTC's own words on September 17 were plain: it is not contacting people about refunds in this matter, and if someone contacts you claiming to be with the FTC, that contact is a scam. No one from Amazon will ask you for money to get a refund. Eligible payments are sent automatically by Amazon. If you have a question about a payment you already expected, the FTC points you to Amazon's refund administrator at SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com, which you type yourself, rather than to any number or link that arrived unsolicited.
What is happening
On September 17, 2026 the FTC announced that Amazon will accelerate and expand redress from last year's settlement over Prime enrollment and cancellation practices. Under the revised order, more people become eligible for automatic payments starting October 1, 2026, and the maximum payment rises from $51 to $200 over later rounds. Amazon has already issued more than $845 million. The same announcement is where the Commission repeated the contact rule it has used throughout this case: the FTC is not calling, and Amazon will not ask for money to issue a refund. Newsweek, covering an earlier stage of the same program, quoted the agency saying scammers have been impersonating the FTC around these payments and that anyone receiving such a call should report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
How to recognize it
- Someone calls, texts, or emails claiming to be the FTC or Amazon and says you have a Prime settlement refund waiting.
- You are asked to pay a fee, confirm a password, or read a code before the money can be released.
- The caller wants you to share a Social Security number, bank login, or one-time passcode.
- A link or number inside the message is presented as the only way to claim the payment.
- You are told the refund will be lost unless you act from that call or message.
What to do instead
- End the call or stop replying. The FTC says it is not contacting people about these refunds.
- Do not pay anyone to release a refund. Amazon will not ask for money to issue one.
- If you want to check a payment, type ftc.gov/refunds or SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com yourself.
- Treat a PayPal or Venmo notice the same way: open the app you already have, rather than a link in an email.
- Report an unexpected FTC or Amazon refund call at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If it already happened
Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.
- Call your bank or card issuer if you paid a fee or shared account details, and ask them to watch the account.
- Change the password for any account you signed into from that call or link, and anywhere else the same password was used.
- If you gave a Social Security number, consider a fraud alert or freeze with the credit bureaus.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Keep the number that called and anything you were sent.
Common questions
- I really might be eligible for this refund. How do I check without using the call?
- Type ftc.gov/refunds or SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com into the browser yourself. Amazon is sending eligible payments automatically. A caller is not a required step in that process.
- Will Amazon or the FTC ever phone me about this?
- The FTC says it is not contacting people about refunds in the Amazon matter. If you need help with a payment you already expected, the Commission points you to email the administrator at [email protected], which you reach yourself.
- I got a PayPal email about an FTC Prime settlement. Is that always fake?
- Not always. Earlier rounds did send some payments through PayPal. The safe check is to open the PayPal app you already have and look at the activity there, rather than using a link in the email.
Practice this safely
Practice looking up an official refund page yourself instead of staying on a call about a settlement payment.
Every story is fictional. There is no timer, no score, and no real message, payment, or account.
Tell someone
Copy a short note you can paste into a text or email. It names the scam, the next step, and this page. Nothing is sent from this site.
A Call About a Prime Refund? The FTC Is Not Calling A real refund program from the Federal Trade Commission's Amazon Prime settlement is expanding on October 1, 2026, which is exactly the kind of news that brings copycat calls. The FTC's own words on September 17 were plain: it is not contacting people about refunds in this matter, and if someone contacts you claiming to be with the FTC, that contact is a scam. No one from Amazon will ask you for money to get a refund. Eligible payments are sent automatically by Amazon. If you have a question about a payment you already expected, the FTC points you to Amazon's refund administrator at SubscriptionMembershipSettlement.com, which you type yourself, rather than to any number or link that arrived unsolicited. Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/amazon-prime-settlement-refund-imposter
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This alert provides general educational information drawn from the sources above. It cannot determine whether a specific message you received is genuine, investigate an incident, or promise recovery or reimbursement.