Now is the time to tap Amazon for refunds for unauthorized in-app purchases made by your kids

It's just over a year since a federal judge ruled that Amazon was liable for the unauthorized in-app purchases made by children. Now the FTC has announced that Amazon is starting to offer refunds for these purchases.

There are said to be more than $70 million in charges from the period between November 2011 and May 2016, and customers now have until the end of May next year to get in touch with Amazon to get their money back.

If your account was used to make a purchase that's now eligible for a refund, you should have already received an email from Amazon letting you know. You can also visit your account to double-check in case you have forgotten about or deleted the email. If you're not in line for any sort of refund, you'll be greeted by a message informing you: "Sorry, but you do not appear to have any potentially eligible in-app purchase refunds as defined by the court."

The FTC issued a statement announcing the launch of the refund program:

All eligible consumers should have received an email from Amazon. Consumers who believe they might be eligible can also:

• go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/refund-orders/in-apprefund/(link is external) or
• log into their Amazon.com accounts and go to the Message Center to find information about requesting a refund under Important Messages.

Refund requests can be completed entirely online. Consumers do not need to call Amazon or send anything by mail to receive a refund. The deadline for submitting refund requests is May 28, 2018. Any questions about individual refunds should be directed to Amazon at 866-216-1072.

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