FTC Sends More Than $527,000 in Refunds to Bountiful Consumers Deceived By “Review Hijacking” on Amazon.com

The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $527,000 in refunds to consumers who bought certain Nature’s Bounty and Sundown vitamins and supplements from Amazon.com. The FTC alleged that these products were marketed deceptively by The Bountiful Company.

According to the FTC’s February 2023 complaint, Bountiful abused features on Amazon.com to deceive consumers into thinking that its newly introduced supplements had more product ratings and reviews, higher average ratings, and “#1 Best Seller” and “Amazon’s Choice” badges. The FTC’s action against Bountiful was the agency’s first time challenging “review hijacking,” a deceptive practice in which a marketer steals the reviews of another product to boost sales. The order settling the FTC’s allegations required the company to pay monetary relief and prohibits it from engaging in deceptive review tactics.

The FTC is sending 32,689 refund checks to eligible consumers. Recipients should cash their checks within 90 days, as indicated on the check. Consumers who have questions about their payment should contact the refund administrator, Analytics, at 1-844-455-2768 or visit the FTC website to view frequently asked questions about the refund process. The Commission never requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund.

The Commission’s interactive dashboards for refund data provide a state-by-state breakdown of refunds in FTC cases. In 2023, FTC actions led to more than $324 million in refunds to consumers across the country.