Google has no duty to refund gift card scam victims, judge finds

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There’s nothing unfair about Google collecting fees to profit off Google Play gift card scams while refusing to refund victims who collectively lost millions, federal Judge Beth Freeman ruled Monday.

Largely granting Google’s motion to dismiss a proposed class-action suit seeking substantial damages for a range of allegedly unfair practices, Freeman found that Google is shielded from liability because the tech giant did not induce victims to purchase the gift cards—scammers did.

The lawsuit was filed by Judy May, who lost $1,000 in 2021 when scammers tricked her into buying Google Play gift cards by claiming she was eligible for a government grant. May was told she could send codes from the gift cards to cover “certain costs upfront to receive same-day delivery of the grant money.” After she fell for it, she realized she’d been scammed, but Google refused to provide a refund, citing terms May considered “unconscionable.”

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