Publishers Clearing House Will Pay Millions For Deceptive Marketing Tactics

Publishers Clearing House agreed to pay $18.5 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that they misled customers and used manipulative website design to trick them into buying products or giving up personal information.
The FTC accused Publishers Clearing House of using "dark patterns," deceptive website design and phrasing, to convince customers that purchasing items or providing data was necessary to enter sweepstakes or improve their chances of winning.
Publishers Clearing House charged hidden fees, used misleading language in communications, and employed confusing privacy policies and terms of service to take advantage of customers, many of whom were elderly or had low incomes.
As part of the settlement, Publishers Clearing House must refund affected consumers, change their business practices, make their terms of service and privacy policies clear and prominent on their website.
The FTC warned that manipulative and deceptive "dark patterns" are an increasing problem in e-commerce that negatively impact consumers..