The FTC receives a lot of complaints every year. According to the FTC's annual summary of complaints received in 2017, the agency received 2.68 million complaints that year. A single FTC complaint may not be enough to draw the FTC's investigative attention but it's definitely possible that complaints may play a role in triggering an FTC investigation.According to Aaron Messing of Messing Law, who has advised clients in connection with FTC investigations, "Although the FTC rarely discloses why it began investigating a company, generally speaking, a solitary complaint may not be sufficient to trigger an FTC investigation." He notes, however, that there can be circumstances in which one complaint can trigger an investigation, particularly if:The complaint is connected to one of the FTC's areas of emphasis
The complaint pertains to alleged unfair or deceptive acts and practices
The complaint is otherwise newsworthy; or
A consumer advocacy group or standards-setting group gets involved.