CFPB Sues Payment Platform Used by YMCA Camps and Charity Race Organizers for Illegally Cramming Consumers With Junk Membership Fees | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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ACTIVE Network generated more than $300 million in membership fees using digital dark patterns and online trickery.

We were reviewing our credit card bills this month and noticed a suspicious charge from ACT*ACTIVE-NETWORK for $99.

We did a little research and traced it back to a race my wife signed up for a race in 2021 - they must have been using these ActiveNetwork jerks as their registration and payment backend. Apparently - somewhere in their check-out/payment flow you get signed up for a membership plan if you’re not paying attention, and they’ve been tricking enough people with this scam that they’ve gotten themselves sued by the state of Texas and the CFPB, with I’m sure more on the way.

Be careful out there when you’re registering for events! Even if you’re careful and you end up in this boat - follow these steps:

  • Go to https://www.active.com/; use the password reset link if you don’t remember your password.
  • Go to My Profile > Advantage
  • At the bottom right, under the list of “benefits” you will see a “CANCEL MY MEMBERSHIP” link tiny letters.