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The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Block provided adequate help to people whose Square or Cash App accounts were frozen or deactivated. The agency has asked a federal court to compel Block to produce documents, but that request and the investigation are not findings that the company broke the law.
What the FTC is investigating
Bloomberg Law reported on October 8, 2026, that the FTC disclosed its investigation in court filings. The inquiry concerns whether Block, the parent company of Square and Cash App, provided adequate customer service to consumers with frozen or deactivated accounts. Bloomberg reported that the FTC began investigating in 2025 and issued a records demand in January 2026 after receiving more than 1,500 consumer complaints, a number attributed to FTC filings in Bloomberg’s account. Those complaints are not adjudicated findings.
Quartz, citing Bloomberg, described allegations in the petition that some Square customers could not access funds after their accounts were frozen or deactivated, including customers who had completed identity and bank verification. These are allegations reported from documents that remain partly redacted, not established findings about every affected account.
What the court petition means—and what it does not
Quartz identifies the matter as FTC v. Block, No. 26-mc-80299, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland. The FTC’s reported petition asks the court to order Block to produce documents. A request for an order is not itself a court ruling; the available reporting does not establish the petition’s final disposition or the FTC’s eventual conclusion.
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Accordingly, the current record supports saying the FTC is investigating Block’s customer support and seeking documents. It does not establish that a court has found Block liable, that the FTC has concluded the investigation, or that Block violated consumer-protection law.
Block’s response
Quartz reproduced Block’s statement: “We have been working in good faith with FTC staff to address the production of responses to the agency’s handful of remaining requests.” The company also said, “We remain committed to working constructively with the commission to bring about the closure of this matter.” Quartz reported, citing Bloomberg, that the FTC did not respond to a request for comment.
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A separate CFPB order sets Cash App support requirements
A January 16, 2025, consent order from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau concerns Cash App and is separate from the FTC’s inquiry into Block and the reported Square complaints. The CFPB order sets specific customer-support, restriction-notice, appeal, and error-resolution requirements; the available reporting does not establish that those terms govern the FTC’s separate inquiry.
Support, restriction notices, and appeals
The order requires Cash App to maintain live customer service that can receive and resolve or escalate account problems, including freezes, suspensions, and blocks. It specifies 24-hour availability for live support, with human voice support for at least 12 hours each day and human chat for at least 18 hours each day. It also requires written notice within 24 hours when an account is restricted, subject to a law-enforcement exception. The notice must explain the reason and how to appeal, and the order gives Cash App 10 business days to grant or deny an appeal.
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- Smart backup: Use your second Tangem Wallet as your Backup keys with end‑to‑end encryption; no more papers, pictures. If one card is lost, the remaining can still restore full access, with an optional seed phrase available for advanced users.
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Notices of error
For notices of error, the order requires a prompt, thorough, and reasonable investigation. Cash App must report the results within three business days after completing the investigation and correct an error within one business day after determining one occurred. If the investigation cannot be completed within 10 business days, the order requires provisional credit, subject to its terms.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What remains unresolved
The available October 8, 2026, reporting does not establish the court’s final handling of the records petition, the FTC’s ultimate findings, or the full unredacted evidence. Any assessment of the investigation’s outcome should distinguish those open questions from the allegations described in reporting and from the separate CFPB order.
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Sources
- Bloomberg Law’s October 8, 2026 report on the FTC investigation and complaint count.
- Quartz’s October 8, 2026 account of the court petition, case identification, reported allegations, and Block statement.
- The CFPB’s January 16, 2025 consent order concerning Cash App.
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