A federal choose dismissed a proposed class motion lawsuit accusing Google of illegally making the most of Google Play reward card scams by refusing to refund tens of millions of {dollars} stolen from victims.
In a late Monday resolution, US District Decide Beth Labson Freeman stated the plaintiff Judy Might misplaced cash as a result of scammers induced her to purchase reward playing cards, and failed to indicate that Google brought about her losses or knew it was receiving stolen funds.
The San Jose, California-based choose additionally stated Google was not accountable for preserving 15 % to 30 % commissions on purchases that scammers made with the reward playing cards as a result of Google’s conduct was unrelated to the unique fraud.
Might stated she misplaced $1,000 in April 2021 when a scammer posing as a relative instructed her to contact a supposed authorities agent, who advised her she was eligible for federal grant cash if she purchased Google Play reward playing cards.
The Brownsville, Indiana resident stated she supplied the codes on the again to cowl supposed upfront prices, however the scammers used the codes to make purchases.
Might stated she wouldn’t have purchased the playing cards had Google warned on the packaging about scams, and that anybody demanding cost with the playing cards was a scammer.
Legal professionals for Might didn’t instantly reply on Tuesday to requests for remark. Google, a unit of Alphabet, didn’t instantly reply to related requests.
Freeman stated Might may attempt to refile her lawsuit, however dismissed a declare looking for triple damages for good. Alphabet relies in Mountain View, California.
In 2023, Individuals misplaced $217 million in reward card or reload card fraud, in response to the Federal Commerce Fee.
The precise quantity is probably going a lot larger as a result of the information cowl solely reported instances. Citing FTC information from 2021, Might stated Google Play playing cards account for about 20 % of reward card scams.
