Companies use a variety of hurdles to bind consumers to contracts. Misleading contract clauses, incorrect product information, hidden additional costs often spell doom for older, less educated or poorer people. A research group consisting of twelve scientists from the universities of Düsseldorf, Münster, Berlin (ESMT), Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Vienna has now been awarded millions of euros in funding from the DFG (German Research Foundation) and the Austrian FWF (Austrian Science Fund) for its research project "Consumer Preferences, Consumer Mistakes, and Firm's Response" in order to develop regulatory approaches to prevent or at least limit such exploitation strategies.