Careful....Credit cards online...

lizardprincesa · 06-26-2008, 08:07 PM #1 (**permalink**)

Last Night, as I was surfing the Net, sorta half awake, I clicked on an ad banner for one of those *free* makeup offers, really just to see...

I *knew* it probably required "participation," which meant signing up for a subscription, or buying a product, etc...A catch had to be in there somewhere...

Each time I finished clicking "no" on every offer on a page, I could not get to the makeup. A message appeared to say: "Please choose a free offer, although your free makeup gift can still be yours if you do not opt to take advantage of any of these great offers...." (words were similar to those.)

I ended up opting for a 1-time delivery of free gourmet coffee & a lovely stainless steel thermos, which I wanted to give my hubby to use to take his tea into work. As soon as i had done so, I called the coffee company's 800 # , & the helpdesk person checked my order; she verified I would, indeed, receive these items for free, including free shipping, & she advised me to call the company & cancel any potential future non-free deliveries upon receipt of the items. Subsequently, I received an email from this reputable coffee company, confirming I would be receiving the free coffee & thermos.

Embarrassingly enough, I *also* signed up for a free pair of hosiery ( + a fairly inexpensive shipping charge). The deal was similar, except for the fact that I could not find a contact phone # (only an email.)

After reading through many offers & checking "no" as the answer to the rest of them, I was rewarded with a popup window, which informed me I was, after all, ineligible for the free makeup. I had obviously neglected to read the *very* fine print on one of the pages.

I was fairly aware that these banners with such offers would probably be
dodgy (eek! I am not British, but my husband's British-isms are creeping into my vocabulary! I checked my bank statement Today, and I was fortunate enough to find a fraudulent charge of only about $35.00. When I called my bank/credit card company, the woman immediately canceled my card & reassured me I'll receive a new one in about a week. (This will now keep me safe from MAC's free shipping, even at 11:59 PM, when I might have chalked it up to exhaustion
The bank lady said the crooked company had not actually charged my acct. yet - it was pending, as is often the case; these companies often disappear before they can be prosecuted.

I know most of you are quite Net savvy, & you're already aware of such scams. Be careful, though. I believe people are most vulnerable when they're stressed &/or tired.

Avoid clicking on banners which promise free makeup if "participation" requirements are fulfilled. Always read the fine print. I semi-knew what was going to happen, but I wanted to research. My research was folly.
I could have been charged *way* more than $35 fraudulent dollars. The actual company who charged it was Reg.net . I do NOT mean to advertise this company- I wish to do quite the opposite. Many such companies exist out there. Check your bank statements often if you purchase items online, ( & even if you don't...Our acct. details were recently exposed via fraudulent
activity in a local supermarket, & our bank let us know by mail; they've sent us new ATM cards. I check our acct. several times a week, just to be sure.)

I have no excuse, except for makeup addiction, curiosity, & the desire to expose online crooks! I do wonder if anyone will find a way to regulate
crooked online "businesses"...How can such a task be accomplished if a group can simply disappear into the air before being caught and prosecuted?

So few material treasures are "free,' although I have received freebie samples in the past. I have found those via sites dedicated to finding *actual* free offers (much like those we can find on another forum on this wonderful site.)

I'm sorry for so many words! I thought I'd share this, although I know most people on here are way too sharp to expose themselves to Net thieves.

Happy PeaceVibes sent to all xxxCherylFaith