Dark Patterns: How The FTC Is Fighting Big Tech Consumer Fraud

Most consumers know what it's like to feel cheated, scammed, and manipulated, and no one does it better, or on a bigger scale, than big tech. Old scams like "bait and switch", false promises, and teeny-tiny “gotcha” fine print, get new life on a much broader scale when millions of people worldwide find out  that without their consent; their private information has been harvested and sold, they've been opted-in to ongoing subscriptions, or they've accidentally signed up for services that no matter how hard they try; they just can't cancel. But it turns out, there actually are actually people who are willing to step up and fight giant tech behemoths like Amazon, the makers of Fortnite, Epic Games, and Vonage. They work at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and we talked to one of them; James Doty, who is a staff attorney in their Financial Practices Division. Listen now, to find out how the FTC can help consumers get back in the game, even when the cards are ever-increasingly stacked against them. Other consumer protection agencies and advocates include the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Ohio Attorney General's Office. All of them have online forms you can fill out to report fraud.  One piece of advice that Doty passed along during our conversation that you may want to keep in mind; is that even if you think your complaint will never get noticed; just remember that there are potentially millions of other people who have had the same problem as you, and adding your complaint to the list at one of these agencies might help convince them to take action. He suggests writing just one complaint letter, and then sending it to a number of different agencies, or even your local member of Congress.  Consumers really do have rights, and though it is often hard to get any attention as an individual;  you just never know when. your individual complaint will turn out to be what makes the difference between suffering in silence, and getting justice.