Published
March 22, 2026
Never pay an app to "find settlements" or "scan for recalls" — every one of these settlement, recall, data-breach, court-record, and complaint tools is a free government or nonprofit resource.
Here is the thing that drives us crazy: there are apps and services out there charging $5 to $15 a month to "find settlements you qualify for" or "scan for recalls on your products." Every single piece of information those services sell is available for free on government websites and free consumer advocacy sites. You are paying for a middleman to Google things you can Google yourself. Every dollar you give them is a dollar wasted.
This is the complete guide to every free resource that exists for class actions, recalls, data breaches, court records, consumer complaints, and your rights. Bookmark this page. Share it with everyone you know. And never pay for information that the government already gives away for free.
Free Class Action Settlement Resources
Billions of dollars in class action settlement money goes unclaimed every single year. Not millions. Billions. The money is sitting there, approved by a judge, waiting for people to file a simple form -- and nobody does because they never heard about it. The FTC alone has returned over $11 billion to consumers since 2017 through enforcement actions, and that is just one agency. Add in private class action settlements, state attorney general cases, and securities settlements, and the total amount of money available to consumers at any given time is staggering.The problem is not that the settlements do not exist. The problem is that most people have no idea where to look. Here are the best free places to find open class action settlements you can file claims for right now.
OpenClassActions.com -- Our main settlement page lists every open class action settlement currently accepting claims, with direct links to claim forms, deadlines, estimated payouts, and whether proof is required. Updated regularly. Completely free.
OpenClassActions on Substack -- Free newsletter with new settlement alerts, payment updates, and analysis delivered to your inbox. No paid tier required.
OpenClassActions on Medium -- Long-form articles and deep dives on major settlements, class action news, and consumer rights topics.
MissedMoneyNews.com -- Consumer news and settlement coverage focused on money you may be owed and did not know about.
DataBreachRadar.com -- Dedicated tracker for data breach class action settlements. If your personal information was exposed in a breach, this site helps you find settlements you may qualify for.
Federal Government Consumer Protection Resources
The U.S. federal government operates multiple free resources for consumers, and most people have no idea they exist. These are not obscure bureaucratic portals -- they are powerful tools that can put money in your pocket, get a dangerous product out of your home, or force a company to respond to your complaint within days. All of them are official government websites and all of them are free.If you have ever received an unexpected check from the FTC and thrown it away because you thought it was a scam -- you are not alone. Millions of people get legitimate FTC refund checks and do not cash them because they do not recognize what they are. Here is how to make sure you never miss one again.
FTC Refunds (ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds) -- The Federal Trade Commission maintains a list of refund programs from FTC enforcement actions. When the FTC sues a company and wins, the money often goes back to consumers in the form of refund checks. This page lists every active FTC refund program. If you bought a product or used a service that was the subject of an FTC case, you may be owed money. Many people receive FTC refund checks without even knowing why — this page explains what they are and how to check if you qualify.
FTC Cases and Proceedings (ftc.gov/legal-library) -- Searchable database of every FTC enforcement action, both current and historical. You can search by company name, industry, or type of violation. Useful if you want to know whether the FTC has ever taken action against a specific company.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) -- The CFPB handles complaints about banks, credit cards, student loans, mortgages, debt collectors, and other financial products. You can file a complaint directly through their website and the CFPB will forward it to the company, which is required to respond. This is one of the most effective tools available for resolving disputes with financial institutions.
SEC Litigation Releases (sec.gov) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission publishes enforcement actions related to securities fraud, insider trading, and other financial violations. If you lost money on a stock that was the subject of fraud, SEC enforcement actions sometimes lead to investor recovery funds. Securities class action settlements often originate from the same conduct the SEC investigates.
DOJ Consumer Protection Branch (justice.gov) -- The Department of Justice's consumer protection division handles federal criminal and civil enforcement against companies that defraud consumers. Their cases can result in restitution orders that put money back in consumers' pockets.
How to Check for Product Recalls -- Free Government Databases
Every year, hundreds of products are recalled in the United States for safety defects that can cause injury, illness, or death. Car seats that fail in crashes. Space heaters that catch fire. Children's toys with choking hazards. Food contaminated with bacteria. The recalls are announced, the companies issue notices, and then most consumers never find out because they do not check.If you have children, if you drive a car, if you eat food, if you take medications -- you should be checking recall databases periodically. It takes 30 seconds and it could save your life or your child's life. Here are the free government databases where every recall in the country is posted.
Recalls.gov -- The single best starting point. This is the federal government's unified recall portal that pulls together recall information from every federal agency in one place. Search here first.
CPSC Recalls (cpsc.gov/Recalls) -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission handles recalls for household products, children's products, electronics, furniture, appliances, and more. If a product in your home could be dangerous, this is where to check. You can also sign up for free email alerts when new recalls are announced.
NHTSA Recalls (nhtsa.gov/recalls) -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration handles vehicle recalls, tire recalls, car seat recalls, and automotive equipment recalls. You can search by your vehicle's year, make, and model, or enter your VIN number for a personalized recall check. If you have children, the car seat recall page at nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats is especially important.
FDA Recalls (fda.gov/safety/recalls) -- The Food and Drug Administration handles recalls for food, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, and dietary supplements. If you take a medication or supplement, or if you are concerned about a food product, search here.
USDA Recalls (usda.gov) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture handles recalls for meat, poultry, and egg products. If a food recall involves meat or poultry, it will be listed here.
How to Search Court Records for Free
If someone sends you a link to a class action settlement and you are not sure whether it is real or a scam, you can verify it yourself in about two minutes using free court record databases. This is also useful if you want to look up a lawsuit against a company, check whether a case has been settled, or read the actual court filings. You do not need a lawyer to access this information -- it is all public record.PACER (pacer.gov) -- Public Access to Court Electronic Records is the official system for searching federal court filings. You can look up any federal case by case number, party name, or court. PACER charges a small per-page fee for viewing documents (currently $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document), but it is free if your quarterly usage stays under $30. This is the authoritative source for verifying whether a federal class action settlement is real.
CourtListener (courtlistener.com) -- A free, open-access legal research platform run by the nonprofit Free Law Project. CourtListener provides free access to millions of court opinions, docket entries, and oral arguments. It is the best free alternative to PACER for basic case lookups and is especially useful for finding court opinions and verifying case outcomes.
How to Check If Your Data Was Breached
If you have used the internet at any point in the last decade, there is a very high probability that your personal information has been exposed in at least one data breach. This is not fear-mongering -- it is math. Over 3,200 data breaches were reported in the United States in 2023 alone, exposing more than 353 million records. Major breaches at companies like Equifax, T-Mobile, Capital One, AT&T, and Ticketmaster have collectively exposed the data of hundreds of millions of Americans.Most people whose data was breached never find out, never take protective action, and never file claims in the class action settlements that often follow. Here is how to check in under 60 seconds whether your data was compromised, what to do if it was, and how to find out if you are owed money from a data breach settlement.
Have I Been Pwned (haveibeenpwned.com) -- Enter your email address and instantly find out if it appeared in any known data breaches. This is the most widely used and trusted breach notification service in the world. It is free, does not require an account, and is run by security researcher Troy Hunt. If your email shows up in a breach, the site tells you which breach, when it happened, and what types of data were exposed.
IdentityTheft.gov -- The FTC's official identity theft recovery resource. If your identity has been stolen or your personal information was used fraudulently, this site walks you through a step-by-step recovery plan including filing reports, placing fraud alerts, and disputing fraudulent accounts. Completely free.
DataBreachRadar.com -- Tracks open data breach class action settlements. If your data was exposed in a breach that resulted in a class action, this site helps you find the settlement and file a claim. Many data breach settlements offer cash payments of $100 or more per person, often with no proof of loss required.
How to Find Your State Attorney General
Your state attorney general is one of the most powerful consumer protection resources available to you, and almost nobody uses it. State AGs investigate companies, file lawsuits on behalf of consumers, negotiate settlements that return money to residents, and in many cases have more enforcement power within their state than any federal agency. When enough consumers file complaints about the same company, it can trigger a formal investigation that leads to a lawsuit, a settlement, and direct payments to consumers.The biggest class action settlements in history -- including those against tobacco companies, opioid manufacturers, and tech giants -- were driven in part by state attorney general enforcement actions. Your complaint matters more than you think.
Find Your Attorney General (naag.org/find-my-ag) -- The National Association of Attorneys General maintains a directory of every state and territorial AG office with direct links to their websites and consumer complaint portals. Find your state, file your complaint, and let them know what happened.
Product Safety Reports and Lemon Law
SaferProducts.gov -- Run by the CPSC, this site lets you file a safety report about a dangerous product or search existing reports filed by other consumers. If a product injured you or someone in your family, filing a report here creates an official record and can trigger an investigation. You can also search to see if other people have reported the same problem with a product you own.LemonLawAmerica.com -- Every state has a lemon law that protects consumers who purchase defective vehicles. This site provides a state-by-state guide to lemon law protections, including what qualifies, how to file a claim, and what remedies are available. If you bought a car that keeps breaking down despite repeated repair attempts, your state's lemon law may entitle you to a refund or replacement.
Why This All Matters
Here is the uncomfortable truth: companies count on you not knowing your rights. They count on you not checking if your product was recalled. They count on you not filing a claim when a class action settlement has your name on it. They count on you not reporting them to the FTC or your state attorney general. Every uncashed settlement check, every unclaimed FTC refund, every ignored recall notice -- that is money and safety left on the table because the information did not reach the right person at the right time.The average American is eligible for at least one or two open class action settlements at any given time and does not know it. If you have ever used a credit card, had health insurance, bought a car, used social media, downloaded an app, bought groceries, or had your data exposed in a breach -- there is probably settlement money waiting for you right now. Filing a claim takes five minutes. Checking a recall takes 30 seconds. Looking up whether your email was in a data breach takes 10 seconds.
Every resource on this page is free. The government resources are funded by your tax dollars -- they exist specifically for you to use. The nonprofit resources are maintained by people who believe this information should be accessible to everyone. And the OCA resources are free because we believe that class action settlement information should never be behind a paywall.
You do not need to pay for an app to find settlements. You do not need a subscription to check recalls. You do not need a lawyer to file a complaint. You just need to know where to look -- and now you do.
Bookmark this page. Share it with your family and friends. Check back regularly. And stop leaving free money on the table.
Free settlement alerts
Get notified when new class actions open to claims
Join thousands of readers who get the latest class action settlements you may qualify for — delivered straight to your inbox.
Find Every Open Settlement Right Now
Visit OpenClassActions.com for the complete list of every class action settlement currently accepting claims — with deadlines, payout amounts, and direct links to claim forms. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer advocacy and class action news site, and is not a class action administrator or a law firm.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
