The $2.2 Million Wake-Up Call
April Avant
The $2.2 Million Wake-Up Call — Dark Patterns: A Woman's Journey Through Digital Exploitation - Part 1
I never thought I'd be the person staring at a bank statement in disbelief, trying to make sense of how I'd spent millions in three years. The numbers blurred before my eyes as I scrolled through transaction after transaction, most to a single destination. My hands shook as I reached for my phone to call the bank – the same bank I'd trusted for twenty years, the one that had never once questioned this spiral of spending.
Just three years earlier, I'd been different. A workaholic with an iron will, I'd built a profitable project from scratch with nothing but determination and a $200 Chromebook. Success was my identity, productivity my religion. But underneath that carefully constructed facade, cracks were forming. The wine helped, until it didn't. The exhaustion crept in, first physical, then emotional, until both conspired to bring everything crashing down.
The shame of that bank statement hit differently than the usual hangover regret. This wasn't just about money – it was about how easily our vulnerabilities can be weaponized against us in the digital age. Each transaction represented a moment of weakness, expertly exploited by systems designed to keep me spending, keep me engaged, keep me coming back for more.
"In our digital world, no one asks if you're okay. They just ask if your payment method is up to date."
When I couldn't or wouldn't give money, people became incensed. Bullying and baseless accusations followed, and the isolation became suffocating. Once a driven professional building projects and generating results with nothing but determination, I found myself in a spiral of emotional and physical exhaustion that brought me to the edge of existence itself.
What I didn't realize then was that Ingenio—a subsidiary of telecommunications giant AT&T and the parent company of Keen, where most of my $2.2 million went—wasn't just taking my money. They were harvesting my vulnerability, my confusion, my desperate search for clarity. Every conversation I had with advisors was being collected, analyzed, and stored for future monetization. I wasn't just a customer; I was becoming a data point in a massive psychological database owned by one of America's largest corporations.
For women throughout history, financial autonomy has been both a battleground and a path to freedom. The digital era promised democratization but also delivered new forms of exploitation. My experience isn't unique – it's part of a pattern that targets vulnerability, especially among women seeking connection, guidance, or healing in digital spaces.
Action Steps for Women Navigating Digital Financial Boundaries:
Set up spending alerts: Not just for large purchases, but for patterns of spending
Review your digital footprint: Which services have your payment information?
Document everything: Keep records of how services influence your spending decisions
Trust your instincts: If something feels manipulative, it probably is
Research parent companies: Look beyond brand names to understand who really owns your data and how that data might be used
Stay tuned for part two next week.