Facebook and Zynga are named as defendants in a federal class action alleging that they operated a 'scam advertising' strategy related to online games including Farmville and Mafia Wars.
According to information from the lawfirm that filed the suit, "Users of these games may have been charged without their consent for "special offers" that result in unauthorized bank, credit, or phone charges, sometimes through the use of phone text messages and auto-recurring SMS subscriptions. Many of these companies and advertisers making "special offers" then make it very difficult — or impossible — for users to get their money refunded."
Rebecca Swift, the lead plaintiff in the case, alleges that she was charged more than $165 after accepting a 'free' ad offer in exchange for YoCash usable in Zynga's YoVille virtual world.
The suit is seeking $5 million in damages.
