WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Trade Commission moved this past week on multiple fronts to protect consumers, launching a nationwide refund program for victims of a deceptive teen-targeted app, releasing new data showing hundreds of millions of Americans have joined the Do Not Call Registry, and rolling out new initiatives aimed at privacy, data protection, and market competition.
At the center of the action is a refund program tied to the anonymous messaging app NGL, which regulators say lured children and teens into paid subscriptions through deception. The FTC and the Los Angeles County District Attorney alleged that NGL and two of its co-founders sent fake messages that appeared to come from real people, then falsely claimed users could identify the senders if they paid for NGL Pro.
The companies also allegedly charged consumers without proper consent. Under a settlement reached in 2024, NGL and its founders agreed to pay $4.5 million to fund refunds and were banned from marketing anonymous messaging apps to anyone under 18.
Now, the FTC is distributing that money. Consumers who paid for NGL Pro between January 2022 and July 2024 and experienced unauthorized charges can apply for refunds through April 6, 2026, at www.ftc.gov/NGL. Claimants must be at least 18, or have a parent or guardian file on their behalf. Questions can be directed to the claims administrator at 800-351-7161 or info@NGLRefund.com.
At the same time, the FTC released its biennial report to Congress on the National Do Not Call Registry, showing that more than 258 million phone numbers were registered as of the end of fiscal year 2025 — an increase of 4.8 million in just one year.
Consumers also filed more than 2.6 million Do Not Call complaints during FY 2025, with most of them tied to robocalls. Debt relief scams, imposters posing as government or family members, and medical or prescription pitches topped the list of unwanted calls, followed by solar, utility, and home improvement offers.
While robocall complaints ticked up slightly in 2025, the FTC said they remain far below their 2017 peak, crediting aggressive enforcement against Voice over Internet Protocol providers, dialing platforms, and soundboard technology firms that help scammers blast illegal calls nationwide. Since the registry was created in 2003, the FTC has brought 173 cases against 570 companies and 449 individuals, collecting nearly $400 million from violators.
The agency is also doubling down on technology-based defenses. All major voice service providers now offer call-blocking and call-filtering tools, and the FTC supports those systems by publishing a daily list of robocall and Do Not Call complaints, including caller ID data and call timing, to help identify abusive traffic.
Looking ahead, the FTC will host a public workshop on February 26, 2026, to examine how to measure consumer harm and benefits in the data-driven economy. The free event, “Measuring Injuries and Benefits in the Data-Driven Economy,” will be held both online and at the FTC’s Constitution Center in Washington and will explore privacy, data breaches, behavioral advertising, and how consumers make choices about their data.
Rounding out the week, the FTC released its 2025 Report on Ethanol Market Concentration, finding that the U.S. ethanol industry remains competitive and unlikely to engage in price-setting or coordinated behavior. The commission voted 2-0 to approve the report.
From refunds for deceived app users to a widening crackdown on robocalls and new scrutiny of data and energy markets, the FTC’s latest actions signal an agency pushing aggressively to reassert consumer protections in an increasingly digital and automated economy.
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