Restoro and Reimage Settlement: The FTC Mailed Checks in March 2026

Who qualifies

• Eligibility covers people who paid Restoro or Reimage for computer repair software or services. The FTC identified them from the companies' own records, so there was nothing to apply for and no proof to submit.
• The FTC has emphasised that the scheme hit older consumers particularly hard. That demographic detail matters practically: a PayPal payment sent to an old or unused email address is easy to miss entirely, which is precisely why a second round of paper checks became necessary.
• If you received a PayPal payment in March 2025 and redeemed it within 30 days, you have already been paid and are not part of the 2026 check round.
• If you were sent a PayPal payment in March 2025 and never accepted it, you are the group the March 2026 checks are for. Cash the check within 90 days, as indicated on the check.
• There is no deadline to file anything, because there is nothing to file. The only deadlines in this program are the windows for redeeming a payment once it has been sent to you.

How the scheme worked, and how the money has been paid back

1. 1

   The fake Windows pop-up

   Consumers encountered online ads and pop-up screens designed to look like genuine Microsoft Windows system warnings. The pop-ups stated that the computer or system was infected with viruses and urged the user to "scan" the computer "to avoid more damage." The visual impersonation of Windows is what made the warning credible — this is not a case about exaggerated marketing, it is a case about a screen pretending to be the operating system.

2. 2

   The scan that always found something

   The FTC charges that regardless of the actual health of the consumer's computer, the companies' scans typically identified purported serious issues that needed immediate attention. A scan that reports problems on every machine is not a diagnostic tool; it is a sales script. Consumers were then urged to buy software online to "fix" the alleged problems or remove the alleged viruses and malware. That software typically cost between $27 and $58.

3. 3

   The activation call and the real charge

   After purchasing, consumers were given a number to call to "activate" the software. On that call, Restoro and Reimage telemarketers attempted to sell additional services by accessing the consumer's computer and misrepresenting that routine computer errors and messages were signs of malware, viruses or other problems. They routinely claimed the "problems" could not be fixed with the newly purchased software alone and required a Restoro or Reimage technician — costing hundreds of dollars more. This is why the FTC charged violations of the Telemarketing Sales Rule alongside the FTC Act.

4. 4

   March 14, 2024 — the FTC sues

   The FTC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Restoro Cyprus Limited and Reimage Cyprus Limited, both registered at Themistokli Dervi 41 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Commission voted 3-0 to authorize the filing. Samuel Levine, then Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the companies "used scare tactics and lies about threats to consumers' personal computers to bilk consumers, particularly older consumers, out of tens of millions of dollars." A stipulated order was entered on March 18, 2024 requiring $26 million and barring the companies from misrepresenting security or performance issues and from deceptive telemarketing.

5. 5

   March 2025 — the first payment round

   The FTC sent 736,375 PayPal payments on March 13 and 14, 2025, totaling more than $25.5 million. Eligible consumers received a notification email beforehand and had 30 days to redeem the payment. Rust Consulting administered the distribution.

6. 6

   March 2026 — checks for everyone who missed it

   The first round produced more than $13.1 million in actual refunds — roughly half of what was sent. A PayPal payment must be actively accepted, and hundreds of thousands of people, many of them older consumers, never did. So the FTC began mailing paper checks to those who did not accept their PayPal payment. If you get one, cash it within 90 days as indicated on the check.

7. 7

   If you think you were missed

   Call the refund administrator, Rust Consulting, at 1-844-590-1102. That is the only useful step. The FTC never requires anyone to pay money or provide account information to submit a claim or receive a refund — and given that this case is itself about a tech support scam, treat any unsolicited call or pop-up offering to help you recover Restoro money as a second attempt at the same fraud.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and official records

Every figure and date on this page was taken from the primary records below — court dockets, agency releases, and the settlement administrator's own notices. Payout averages we describe as averages are calculated from the official totals, not reported per-person estimates.

• FTC — Restoro-Reimage Refunds page: the March 2026 check round, the more than $13.1 million actually refunded by PayPal in March 2025, and the Rust Consulting line 1-844-590-1102
• FTC press release, March 10, 2025 — the 736,375 PayPal payments sent March 13 and 14, 2025 totaling more than $25.5 million, and the 30-day redemption window
• FTC press release, March 14, 2024 — the $26 million order, the fake Windows pop-ups, the $27 to $58 software price, and the technician upsell costing hundreds more
• FTC case record — FTC v. Restoro Cyprus Limited and Reimage Cyprus Limited, matter X240021, District of Columbia: the March 14 complaint and March 18, 2024 stipulated order