Lumosity, which created a brain game powerhouse by telling people it could make them smarter, is paying for its lies. Lumos Labs will pay the US Federal Trade Commission $US2 million for deceptive trade practices.
Art by Jim Cooke
If you’re a regular web surfer, chances are you’ve encountered adds from Lumosity that claims playing the company’s dubious brain training online games will improve your memory. It seems Lumosity took its claims a bit too far.
“Lumosity preyed on consumers’ fears about age-related cognitive decline, suggesting their games could stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease,” FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich said in a statement. “But Lumosity simply did not have the science to back up its ads.”
People who signed up for Lumosity’s auto-renewal program between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2014 will get notified about the FTC action and given an easy way to cancel.
This post first appeared on Gizmodo Australia
Comments
2 responses to “Those Lumosity Brain Games That Claim To Improve Memory Don’t Work”
They are still being allowed to run their ads in Australia, I’m not surprised as the ACCC is a toothless tiger.
You do realise someone has to make a formal complaint before they investigate. They just don’t do stuff for the hell of it.
Plus there is criteria that claims have to meet and beleive it or not they dont have unlimited resources. Being a federal body they go after the larger cases. In 2013 they got ticketek for 2m for unfair competition Hp they got for 3m. 1.2 from energy australia and a total of 5m from all involved in the case. And many more where they threaten action unless changes are made. They aren’t toothless but they don’t go after small fry, that’s your states consumer affairs. They are more a regulatory body that approves or denies sales of businesses and shares and make recommendations to the government on business regulation.