MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 in August 2023.
If you're among the nearly 260,000 active or retired military personnel who sued 3M earlier this year over defective earplugs, be warned.
Florida's Judge M. Casey Rodgers wrote in court documents filed Saturday that several defendants have reported receiving phone calls from "bad actors" who he said pose as the settlement administrator — ARCHER Systems, LLC — asking claimants to provide sensitive information like Social Security numbers and birthdates.
The filing said it was determined the scammers posed contact from ARCHER specifically dedicated to the settlement with 3M. The deal, which was reached earlier this year, awards $6 billion to members of the military who said they suffered permanent hearing loss after using Combat Arms earplugs. The earplugs were provided to armed service members, many of whom served in Iraq and Afghanistan, from 2003 to 2015.
The Saturday court filings say ARCHER will not contact claimants unsolicited and does not "employ or utilize an autodialer or auto caller bots through its call center(s) or to communicate with claimants." Further, the judge noted the company will never ask for a person's full SSN by telephone.
According to court documents, the scam started after information about the settlement program was posted to Reddit, which was then manipulated and exploited by the aforementioned "bad actors."
Those who believe they've been targeted by scammers are encouraged to end/not return unsolicited phone calls or emails, but instead, inform/forward to their legal counsel. The judge also advises using caution about what claimants post online in regard to the settlement program.
At the time the deal with 3M was reached, company officials said the move was not an admission of liability, insisting on the safety and efficacy of the earplugs when used correctly.
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