US senators urge FTC to act on Facebook ‘friendly fraud’ practices

FILE PHOTO: Two women take photos in front of the entrance sign to Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo

SAN FRANCISCO: Two Democratic US senators called for the Federal Trade Commission to act on a complaint filed by consumer groups against Facebook Inc on Feb 21 that alleged the company scammed children into spending money on its platform.

A coalition of consumer groups asked the FTC to investigate whether Facebook had engaged in deceptive practices, claiming the company lured children into making extensive in-game purchases without parental consent.