fell for a online scam

LegacyUser

hi there

i have just got off the phone to my credit card company after them telling me that cancelling my card will do no good against stopping a recurring charge that i will be getting every month.. let me begin at the start..

yesterday i came across an acai berry (for training) site offering free trial if you just pay for shipping, now, i know if its seems to good to be true it probably is, and i have never fallen for a scam in my 15 years as an internet user.. but was duped by this one.. anyway after signing up for the free trial i then found a few sites where people were saying they have been signed up to a monthy fee for 60 quid or something.. and to try cancel is near imposable, oversea's callcenters and endless queuing and transfers only to find out you have to jump through a load of hoops to get out of the membership.. and by the time you get to cancel hundreds have been charged to your card...

now heres the thing.. i only signed up yesterday and i want to stop it all before the wheels are in motion so i called to cancel my card.. they told me that canceling my card is useless i need to contact any companies that have my details one by one and cancel with them, and that even if i cancel my card they can still charge me.. i feel kinda trapped now and expect to have a pretty rough few weeks/months ahead.. surely there is a way i can cancel a payment from going through? and block further payments from that same company??

any advise would be great cos i feel like im about to be rode here!!

LegacyUser

My card was skimmed in the states while I was on holidays. I wasn't aware of it until about 8 months later, one day several charges to Macy's and Radioshack in Florida appeared on my online banking.
Obviously I was here. And not there. Rang the credit card company and cancelled it. No problem, done on the spot. And the charges were blocked that day and I was repaid by the company the next day.They also told me that whoever had the details tried to make several other transactions in the following days, but they were blocked aswell. In the States it's not chip and pin, it's signature only, so it was easy to take someone's name and credit card number, and then add a signature.
I'm not sure what credit card company you're with, but what you're being told sounds way off.How would you cancel it if it was stolen? Ring every company that has your number that you've ever used and cancel it with them? Or something?
If I were you I'd be ringing back and telling them outright you just want it cancelled.Bottom line.

DEEDEE30

Both the situations are very different. The op signed over his card details willingly so there's very little the credit card company can do.

dearg lady

Yeah, I know when I cancelled my credit card after it was stolen they asked me several times, did I have recurring charges on it, I'd say cancel the card anyway, and see how that pans out.
If you actually signed up to pay the charges(however well they have it hidden!!') then I guess you'd be liable. Where is the company based? If they're abroad I guess they're less likely to come after you!

trowelled

The very same thing happened my mam and sister not too long ago. They fell into the trap too. Unfortunately, cancelling the card will do no good as they will still be able to charge you and you will be liable for these charges. My mam and siter are with two different banks and both told them that. The best thing to do is to get on to the companies. It was a painful process for them both but it was the only way to stop the charges. Be persistent with them and tell them that you only signed up for a trial period and other no circumstances should your card be charged anymore.

The company my mam and sister was dealing with was based in America. The "customer service" folk tried their best to fob them off but they were tough with them and told them thier banks were dealing with the matter and should any more charges incur legal advice shall be sought and so on. Just be tough with them and don't take any of their crap. In the end it didn't take too long in getting back the money and for all charges to be stopped. Better to do it now. My sister's bank were extremely helpful and if I remember correctly sent a letter to this company on her behalf. My mam's weren't so helpful but she still got the money back in the end and hasn't been charged since.

Also be aware they'll probably also tell you that they've already sent out the next months supply. That it's already been shipped and that you will therefore have to pay for it. Don't accept this. Tell them you didn't ask for it that you only signed up for a months trial and should an order arrive you'll be shipping it straight back and will be demanding a refund!

Hope this is of help

bSlick

Just ring up your credit card company and say it wasn't you that signed up for this 'free trial' and that you want it cancelled.

Tuesday_Girl

This was covered on the Joe Duffy show the other day, loads of people rang in to say they had been scammed in the same way. Not sure what advice was given but you might be able to find the podcast on his site and play it back.

LegacyUser

i called them back and explained all about the scam and they have now blocked my card, canceled payment and i have faxed in to have the card cancelled.. the guy i was speaking to seemed way nicer than the first person.. he said he has seen this before, he was able to find the names of the companies that were putting the charges through and has blocked them from charging me again... i hope this is the end of it.. he said he is sending me a new card and that my fax will be enough to cancel that card that was used in the scam...

i really do hope thats the end of it.. still feel like a dope for falling for it :-(

JackieT

If the company does end up trying to charge you, contact your card issuer (typically your bank) and state that the transaction was never authorised, and ask for a CC chargeback.

It's then up to the bank to research whether the chargeback is valid or not.

jeckle

I'd suggest going through the site & finding the terms & conditions regarding how to cancel. Take a screenshot or print them out.. Follow the cancellation instructions exactly, even if it means making an overseas call. Take screenshots of everything as you are doing it.

It is probably too late to cancel the first shipment included in your free trial, so will will probably have to just accept that, but if your account is not cancelled & they continue to charge you, the screenshots & a printout of the terms & conditions should be enough for the credit card company to either do a chargeback or to block the company from debiting your credit card account.

jeckle

bSlick wrote:

Just ring up your credit card company and say it wasn't you that signed up for this 'free trial' and that you want it cancelled.

I doubt very much if that would work because

1) The credit card company will already have a record of the phone call the OP made, so they are aware that it was the OP who entered the card details & so the information would be conflicting. They won't fall for that one.

2) More than likely the OP would have been asked to supply a CVV number, so the first transaction has already been authorised by the credit card company.

MIN2511

Me three!!!

It has cost me €115 and the bank won't charge it back because i signed up for it

LegacyUser

i plan on sending the free trials back as soon as they arrive..

the small print on the sites say that you must send the free trialls back within 14 days to cancel, so i will do this and whatever else is needed, probably a phone call or 12!! i will post the sites URL's when i get home tonight as i am in work now and don't have them handy.. i have been feeling sick all day over this, and haven't been able to focus on anything in work.. so annoyed at myself!!!

and to add insult to injury i signed up to 3 of them cos the site i was directed from said you need to order one free trial for when you wake up, another for when you eating lunch and one for when you work out... so i have to do it all in triplicate :-(

i just want to get this sorted asap, cos i dont need this going on over xmas..

Be Aware folks..

Nervous Wreck

This could be too easy a fix but I don't know anything about this kinda thing but....... why not cancel your cards, close your bank accounts and move all your cash to another bank?

Nervous Wreck

Nervous Wreck wrote: »

This could be too easy a fix but I don't know anything about this kinda thing but....... why not cancel your cards, close your bank accounts and move all your cash to another bank?

The first part of your post was spot on.

OP, could you send me a link of what you signed on for? I wanna see it just to make sure I don't fall for anything similar..

Nevyn

It's some diet scam eat these chocolate with magical acai berry in them and loose weight.
Seriously the acai berry email spam has been as bad as pills for wonky willies.

Ring your bank, get your card canceled if needs be.

arctictree

What happened is that you signed up for a recurring transaction. This is difficult to cancel as the credit card issuing banks have built a scheme to update merchants with your new credit card details.

As suggested earlier, the best thing to do is to cancel your credit card completely with your bank. Of course, they will try to dissuade you from doing this as they will lose the business but you just have to be firm.

Nevyn

tlcinvestigations.co.uk

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?p=917168

PaddyThai

This is a sample of one of the sites that scams people. http://www.acai-cleanse-combo.info/index.php?keyword=gs_Life-cleanse
It was well covered on the Joe Duffy show and some pople were scammed for up to €600. They did not realise when giving their credit card details for P&P they were also agteeing to a subscription for pills every month and the cost to be deducted from their creidt card.
The fact is people, unwittingly, agree to paying for monthly pills when they give credit card details for P&P for the free offer.
My wife made this mistake and I have to admit I import regularly over the net and have never been duped like this.
We called the freephone number and got to a call centre in Poland where we cancelled our order.
Not sure if we have the time and energy to get our €180 back.

To the Op, I'd suggest you ring the custormer service nyumber and cancel your order. Cancelling the free trial before it expires is near impossible because free trial starts when you make the order not when you receive goods so not enough time.

Good luck.

Bluetonic

Joe Duffy podcast on the same topic.

LegacyUser

ok folks im home now and checking my internet history from yesterday.. heres the links to avoid..

these 3 sites lead me to the disaster...
http://www.jasonsrippedlog.com/
http://www.hilarysweightloss.com/
http://www.johnsmuscles.com/lp/

all fake testimonials.... they all lead to these sites...


http://www.acaiforcemax.com/index.php
i was able to contact customer support and did get a cancellation reference number.. but will still get stung for money if i cant get the free sample back to them in time.. worst case scenario i'll get stung for 80 dollars but the membership is now cancelled so after that charge there will be nothing else..


http://www.effectivecleanse.com

http://www.acaiberryexclusive.com

both these seem to be linked to tradingplanetltd.com and offer only a number located in poland +48222120179 however i did find a UK number also +44 203 139 9104

so gonna give them a try also..

hope i can get this all sorted, i will keep you guys posted, but please learn from my mistake and read the small print..

Bottle_of_Smoke

arctictree wrote: »

What happened is that you signed up for a recurring transaction. This is difficult to cancel as the credit card issuing banks have built a scheme to update merchants with your new credit card details.

As suggested earlier, the best thing to do is to cancel your credit card completely with your bank. Of course, they will try to dissuade you from doing this as they will lose the business but you just have to be firm.

That's kind of strange, because when I lost my CC they told me I had to give any third party DDs on the card my new CC number when it arrives. I'm sure you're right though.

I really dislike the cushiness banks and companies have. We should not have to contact the companies to stop direct debits. The card/current account is our money. We should be able to say to the bank "no not let them take money out of my account" and they immediately block the company. Drives me mad.

Toots

OP, when the free trials arrive, send them back by registered post, along with a letter stating that you do not wish to continue your subscription to their service and that you do not authorise them to debit any funds from your card. In addition, if there's a 'contact us' section on the site, I'd send them an email stating this also. Keep copies of this corrsepondence.

If/when they do try to debit your account, you can ask your credit company to do what's called a 'chargeback' on your account to try and recover the funds. They may ask for something in writing from you, and this is where your copies of the letter and registered post receipt can come in handy, as you can send copies of these to the CC company to prove that you cancelled your subscription.

In 99% (slight generalisation) of cases where a credit card holder is scammed, the provider should be able to 'flag' certain transactions on your account, and stop them going through. However this is often only the case where the credit card details have been stolen, not given, as in your case.

You were right to cancel the card anyway, just to be on the safe side. Hopefully your bank will have been able to set up a block for that particular retailer, but unfortunately retailers can still charge to cancelled accounts (it's somewhere under the Mastercard/Visa rules and regulations AFAIK) However, you can dispute the charge, and your card provider will have to go back to the retailer and get proof from them of the validity of the transaction. So if this happens with you, you can provide them with your copies of emails, letters etc, proving that you cancelled the service, thus invalidating the transaction. If you get a new card, and they do debit your old one, you should get a seperate statement for your old card account, so at least it will be easy to differentiate between the two.

If they really are scammers, I'd also look out for small, seemingly innocuous transactions on your card. Scammers will often try to put through a transaction for a small amount to 'test' cards before going all out on them. Examining your monthly statements is a good habit to get into, if you don't already do it, and make sure you report anything suspicious to your bank straight away. Most banks have a clause that suspicious transactions have to be reported in a 'timely manner' so if you come back to query something months later, you could be outside the timeframe to raise the query.

The "customer service" folk tried their best to fob them off but they were tough with them and told them thier banks were dealing with the matter and should any more charges incur legal advice shall be sought and so on. Just be tough with them and don't take any of their crap.

Good advice here! Definitely be very firm, and make sure they're under no illusions that you will take it further if they do attempt to charge you. Sorry for the long post, hope it all makes sense. Most important thing is monitor your statements and keep in touch with your bank. Best of luck, and really hope it gets resolved without too much hassle.

pow wow

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

That's kind of strange, because when I lost my CC they told me I had to give any third party DDs on the card my new CC number when it arrives. I'm sure you're right though.

It's quicker to do that. The recurring charges usually find their way to your new card number if you say nothing, but there can be a delay.

LegacyUser

arctictree wrote: »

What happened is that you signed up for a recurring transaction. This is difficult to cancel as the credit card issuing banks have built a scheme to update merchants with your new credit card details.

This defo isn't true for security reasons, they leave it up to you to pass on your new card number. I know this coz the bank told me directly when I had my credit card stolen...

Gyalist

Sorry if this appears unsympathetic but anyone with normally functioning internal organs who believes this "detox" BS deserves to be scammed.

Nevyn

Unhelpful and off-topic posting will get you banned from this forum.
Do take time to read the charter which contains the rules and abide by them.
Have a nice day.
Thaedydal

helimachoptor

Op easiest thing to do is ring your bank and tell them you lost your CC, you may get hit with the first charge from this crowd, but when they try to charge the CC again it'll decline as the CC number has been cancelled.

dvpower

Aren't there EU distance selling regulations that allow you to cancel goods and services bought over the internet within a x day period. Don't know the details but might be worth checking out.

LegacyUser

Hey OP,
I was listening to the Gerry Ryan Show there last wk and it was discussing this very topic. A lot of very distressed customers all describing exactly the same as you. Now i believe that you are in a better situation in i am not correct, they all mentioned a 15 day trial...had you a trial period? they did not cancel within the 15 days and so got stung with the money, i am not sure but believe because you are cancelling before the 15 days then the terms state you are entitled to your money back. print them out. perhaps contact the Ger Ryan show and they may be able to put you in touch with some of the phone numbers the callers suggested to help other people out, because some of them did manage to stop the money. do check out the trial period and live on the phone calling up as many centres as you can...
good luck

and let us know how you get on....

Toots

helimachoptor wrote: »

Op easiest thing to do is ring your bank and tell them you lost your CC, you may get hit with the first charge from this crowd, but when they try to charge the CC again it'll decline as the CC number has been cancelled.

The only thing is the OP has already phoned their bank and explained the situation, so if they suddenly come back saying they've lost their card it's gonna look a bit suss.

Joey the lips

Ring the credit card company say your credit card is gone missing and you will be issued with a new one! The grat things is the company will contact you looking for it and you can choose either not to answer or confirm it canceled!

Best of luck

ps as said above and no it wont look suspect!

dilallio

There is an article in todays Indo regarding this 'scam'

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/smart-consumer/i-lost-hundreds-of-euros-in-this-internet-dieting-scam-1934514.html

Here's what it says:

'The most powerful fat-fighting formula in the entire world." This is how one website describes the acai berry.
It's an inch-long reddish, purple fruit. It comes from the acai palm tree, which is native to Central and South America and it is a relative of the blueberry, cranberry and other dark purple fruits.
But whether or not these berries can help you to lose weight, one thing is certain. If bought from unscrupulous online sellers, they can certainly help you to lose your money.
Martha Colleran from Co Galway has already lost €302.57. When browsing on health sites online she clicked on an advert for acai berries advertising a 'no fee, free trial'.
Clicking through to the site she learned that these berries had been discussed positively on the Oprah Winfrey Show and that they were a weight-loss agent.
"It sounded so good," says Martha. "There was no risk involved and all I had to pay was €5 for post and packaging. It seems so great that I signed up for my free trial."
On August 7, Martha's delivery of acai berries and a 'life cleanse' product arrived. She took the berries but found they upset her stomach, so she threw them out and seven days later wrote to the company saying that she did not want to start subscribing to get regular deliveries of the berries.
"It was then," explains Martha, "that I noticed two charges on my Visa bill, each for €84.67. I contacted my bank who said that I had subscribed and so they couldn't stop the payments.
"Then I contacted the company stating that I had not signed up and I asked for a refund, but they hung up on me.
'Next my credit card was debited for three separate amounts totalling €133.23, under different company names and for different products I had never heard of."
Martha feels that "these people are scammers to the hilt". "Once they get your credit card details," she believes, "you are dead meat."
Martha has now cancelled her credit card, and her bank says they will try to refund her for the last three payments debited from her account.
She has received three deliveries of acai berries she never ordered and has sent them back by registered post.
Martha has contacted the European Consumer Centre Ireland (ECC) for further help, but she says: "I feel helpless. I don't have the money and this is a crisis for me."
The ECC's Caroline Curneen reveals that in the past two weeks, they have already received 12 complaints about this, a sign that they are just witnessing the beginning of a potentially huge problem.
"Typically," she explains, "consumers respond to an offer, either on a dedicated website or via a pop up, for a 'free 15-day trial pack' of Acai Berry Diet Pills.
"People taking up the 'free' offer are then asked to supply their credit-card details to cover the postage and packing," she continues.
"Customers later discover that they have inadvertently subscribed to receive more of the products at an average cost of €83 per month unless they take almost immediate action to cancel the 'contract'.
"The trader argues that all the information the customer needs is available in the terms and conditions. However, these may not be immediately obvious," says Ms Curneen.
Indeed, the terms and conditions do say that the product is supplied as part of a trial promotion which is then automatically followed by the subscription. The customer must cancel the subscription within 15 days or additional supplies will be sent and money will be debited.
But Bernie Conway's 19-year-old daughter Colleen did read the terms and conditions and she still lost money.
Bernie explained that Colleen heard about the acai berry on the Oprah Winfrey Show and linked through to an advert she saw while online.
An experienced shopper, Colleen realised she had to cancel within 15 days. So she did.
"She cancelled over the phone," says Bernie, "but then I noticed that €83.21 was charged to my Visa account. So Colleen called the company again, who told her that her order had been cancelled and that they would send her email confirmation.
"Instead she got an email just saying that you have to cancel within 15 days. But she had already done that."
So far, we have a tale of unclear sales information, credit cards debited after cancelling the order and big health claims.
Caroline Curneen says that Trading Standards in the UK are currently looking into the matter. The company operates under various names, and while a UK address is used, the company appears to originate outside of the EU.
What's more, this 'scam' is operating worldwide, with complaints also coming from customers in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Germany and the UK.
And is there an Oprah connection? Oprah's website does describe acai berries as "nature's energy fruit". However, nowhere does the website suggest that this fruit is a diet aid.
Furthermore, in August, Harpo Inc, Oprah Winfrey's company, filed a lawsuit for trademark infringement against 40 internet marketers of dietary supplement, including acai berry products.
Her website states: "Neither Oprah Winfrey nor Dr Oz has ever sponsored or endorsed any acai berry ... or dietary supplement product". But do the berries work?
Dr Daniel McCartney from the Irish Nutritional and Dietetic Institute provided some interesting information.
He reports that: "David A Bender, senior lecturer in Biochemistry at the University College London, wrote about the health claims made for acai berries in the October 2008 edition of HealthWatch.
He concluded that of the 10 Medline citations available relating to acai berries, "there is no mention in any of these papers of any possible or likely weight-reducing action".
Mr McCartney adds that a search he conducted last Friday "revealed 25 citations in total relating to acai berries, but again, none of these referred to any possible or probable weight-reducing effects".
Aveen Bannon of the Dublin Nutrition Centre agrees. "Acai berries are high in vitamin c but they don't aid weight loss.
"There is no magic pill for weight loss", she adds, "instead it all comes down to three things: healthy eating, exercise and a balanced diet."
- Tina Leonard
Irish Independent

BumbleB

Sorry to hear some of you guys lost money.I got caught by those scammer mobile companies and their text messages for a little bit of money.



I think the way to react when you get scammed is to call up and know nothing of the transaction ,then it gets passed to the fraud investigation and you gte reimbursed.

Sizzler

MIN2511 wrote: »

Me three!!!

It has cost me €115 and the bank won't charge it back because i signed up for it

They were spinning you a line here. In your case and the OP's case you didnt sign anything and it is almost impossible for a merchant (seller) to prove the charge against you, even more so considering how spurious this company seems to be.

At the end of the day all you need to do is tell your bank / credit card company that "no product or service" was supplied and they will have to refund you. Most call centre agents will not be briefed or will in all probability be discouraged from giving you the info you need. To get a satifsactory solution you will have to write to them. If you dont get the outcome you want first time then crank it up on the second letter and tell them you will complain to the financial regulator etc. It will work in the end. A merchant has no right to charge you for something you never got, regardless it being a scam or not!

BumbleB

Sizzler wrote: »

They were spinning you a line here. In your case and the OP's case you didnt sign anything and it is almost impossible for a merchant (seller) to prove the charge against you, even more so considering how spurious this company seems to be.

At the end of the day all you need to do is tell your bank / credit card company that "no product or service" was supplied and they will have to refund you. Most call centre agents will not be briefed or will in all probability be discouraged from giving you the info you need. To get a satifsactory solution you will have to write to them. If you dont get the outcome you want first time then crank it up on the second letter and tell them you will complain to the financial regulator etc. It will work in the end. A merchant has no right to charge you for something you never got, regardless it being a scam or not!

Thats a great post ,it is 100% true and the amount of times I rang call centre's and they will not tell you this information . I found it out from a girl who worked for visa in coppers one night but that another story ..................................

LegacyUser

Hi folks..

right the latest....

My first shipment arrived today, and after reading their site the sample must be returned within the 14 day trail to cancel (it was mailed 5 days ago so should take 5 days to send back, and they have 4 days to process my cancellation).. so i have mailed it straight back, completely unopened (even the jiffy bag) and i sent it reg'd post with a letter explaining to cancel my membership?/Trial? and have the same letter going to my credit company to prove that i have told them to cancel it and to block any payments to that company. as i am not authorizing any further payments!! my new credit card also arrived yesterday so i have no worries that they will get bitter and share my details with anyone else.. the card is cancelled.. im just following up with these companies one by one to make sure all direct debits are completely cancelled.. i have been doing research and come across a few addresses and phone numbers for these companies.. i will share them with you as soon as i know im in the clear.. cos i dont want this dispute to become messy for me by publishing anything..

cheers..

I'll keep you posted when the other packages arrive..

LegacyUser

..and before Acai it was Hoodia.

IMO the ad networks are complicit in this mess - they know very well many of these advertisers are scam artists but continue to run their ads. There's some legislation currently being introduced in the US to try to regulate the affiliate marketing area but it probably won't do a whole lot to stop this type of thing happening.

Here's an example of someone trying to filter out these ads from his website, and how some of the ad networks do little or nothing to help this (as if they should carry the ads in the first place) -

http://www.habitationofjustice.com/why-affiliate-marketers-are-scum-of-the-earth-and-should-rot-in-hell