Patients of popular telehealth therapy providers may be in debt if they meet certain criteria.
Online treatment platform BetterHelp will soon begin making payments to customers affected by the data breach.
BetterHelp was accused by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of leaking customer information for advertising purposes and ordered to pay $7.8 million in restitution to patients.
The leaked information includes clients' email addresses, IP addresses, and responses to personal health questions.
The charges were originally filed against BetterHelp in March 2023.
According to the FTC, companies like Facebook and Snapchat were given access to this information to inform their advertising practices.
The heart of the complaint hinged on the FTC's allegation that BetterHelp did not have permission from its customers to release this information and did not disclose it to patients.
In addition to refunds, the FTC required BetterHelp to change its disclosure and authorization policies related to customer information.
“Businesses are also required to obtain affirmative, explicit consent before disclosing personal information to specified third parties for any purpose,” the FTC's decision statement explains. There is.
“We have implemented a comprehensive privacy program that includes strong safeguards to protect consumer data, instruct third parties to delete consumer health information and other personal data that BetterHelp has shared with us, and “Retention schedules that limit the length of time personal information and health information can be retained according to the requirements of the policy,” the mandate continued.
The final decision enforcing the refund and these terms was made in the summer on July 14, 2023.
Your refund will be based on the amount you spent on the Service during the Covered Period.
who is getting paid
Customers who subscribed to and paid for BetterHelp services between August 1, 2017 and December 31, 2020 are eligible for a refund payment.
Services that fall under the BetterHelp suite include:
- better help
- my therapist
- teen counseling
- faith counseling
- pride counseling
- i counseling
- regain
- Teraput
An Kura Consulting Group, an independent refund administrator, will contact all customers who meet these criteria by email.
The messages started going out on May 6, and it took about a month for recipients to respond.
Eligible recipients can use the information in the email to select their payment method, from check to Zelle transfer.
If eligible recipients miss the email and do not select a method by June 10th, they will be automatically refunded through PayPal.
According to the FTC's website, payments are expected to be made in “late summer.”
You can also select a payment method through this link, but you will need a payment code that is unique to your eligible customer.
How to claim: Assist with settlement
Eligible BetterHelp customers must have a unique payment code to request cash.
Customers can receive payments via check, PayPal, or Zelle.
Eligible individuals will receive an email with information on how to securely receive funds from An Kura Consulting Group.
If you believe you are eligible but did not receive an email to claim your portion of the settlement. Or if you have any questions, you can contact the independent refund administrator at:
1-833-637-4774 or info@BetterHelpRefundProgram.com
Source: FTC