“[Razer] falsely claimed, in the midst of a global pandemic, that their face mask was the equivalent of an N95 certified respirator,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.
Razer never got the Zephyr tested by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or the US Food and Drug Administration and the Zephyr never received N95 certification.
The FTC’s complaint against Razer, which is best known for high-priced, RGB-riddled PC gaming peripherals, claimed that Razer continued promoting the Zephyr despite consultants highlighting the mask’s lack of certification and protection.
Razer reportedly refunded fewer than 6 percent of Zephyr purchases in the US.
However, the proposed settlement against Razer includes a $100,000 civil penalty, plus $1,071,254.33, which the FTC said is equal to the amount of revenue Razer made from the Zephyr and will go toward refunding “defrauded consumers.”
Holy cow, I tried to buy one of these. Glad I wasn’t able to. I thought “Yeah, why not lean into the cyberpunk dystopia look, right now?”
Little did I realize that it was a product of a literal cyberpunk dystopia. Corpos, man.
Yeah, I was on the fence and now I wish I had bought it. I’d still get my money back and I’d have a cool cosplay prop.