Lawsuit says ads in social games are scamming players
National News
Gamers are crying foul play over what they claim are misleading ads on social games.
A class-action lawsuit last month highlights what thousands of consumers say are bogus offers tied to social games available on Facebook and other social networks. The 16-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in nearby Sacramento, details how Rebecca Swift, a 41-year-old self-employed resident of Santa Cruz, Calif., was lured into accepting two "special offers" from advertisers to gain extra game credits for YoVille, a popular virtual-world game developed by Zynga.
More than $200 was illegally charged to Swift's credit card over several months, the lawsuit alleges. It seeks compensation from Facebook and Zynga for Swift and thousands of others, says attorney John Parker, who represents the plaintiff.
Zynga had no comment on the lawsuit.
It claims 90% of its revenue comes from user purchases of virtual goods. Zynga says 1 million users purchase goods each month.
Facebook says the ads came from third parties, but it takes the issue seriously. It called the lawsuit frivolous and without merit.
The lawsuit illustrates the kerfuffle over misleading social-gaming ads that have frustrated consumers and scared away legitimate advertisers, who do not want to be lumped with scamsters, says Alex Rampell, CEO of TrialPay, an online payment and promotions service.
Social games are among the hottest things going online. Millions have flocked to Facebook, MySpace and elsewhere to play free games that test their wits and skills against friends.
But to gain entry to new levels of the game, an undetermined number of players unknowingly are signing up for special offers. Some of those offers, such as an IQ test and green tea offer that Swift agreed to, automatically charge the game player.
The stakes are particularly high for Zynga, which draws more than 100 million visitors a month and is eyeing a possible initial public stock offering next year. Industry estimates peg its annual revenue at $100 million to $250 million, of which $33 million to $84 million may come from these "special offers," the suit claims.
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USCIS Will Begin Accepting CW-1 Petitions for Fiscal Year 2019
On April 2, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting petitions under the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)-Only Transitional Worker (CW-1) program subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2019 cap. Employers in the CNMI use the CW-1 program to employ foreign workers who are ineligible for other nonimmigrant worker categories. The cap for CW-1 visas for FY 2019 is 4,999.
For the FY 2019 cap, USCIS encourages employers to file a petition for a CW-1 nonimmigrant worker up to six months in advance of the proposed start date of employment and as early as possible within that timeframe. USCIS will reject a petition if it is filed more than six months in advance. An extension petition may request a start date of Oct. 1, 2018, even if that worker’s current status will not expire by that date.
Since USCIS expects to receive more petitions than the number of CW-1 visas available for FY 2019, USCIS may conduct a lottery to randomly select petitions and associated beneficiaries so that the cap is not exceeded. The lottery would give employers the fairest opportunity to request workers, particularly with the possibility of mail delays from the CNMI.
USCIS will count the total number of beneficiaries in the petitions received after 10 business days to determine if a lottery is needed. If the cap is met after those initial 10 days, a lottery may still need to be conducted with only the petitions received on the last day before the cap was met. USCIS will announce when the cap is met and whether a lottery has been conducted.