Don't Give Bank Info

The problem is with ads on forums or any site, is that there is little control over what is shown. I am always dubious about any company keeping my card details on file, but there is a loophole when they say by placing the order you give them authority to debit each month for further supplies. All you can do if it is a credit card is say they are unauthorized transactions and show the card company the email or letter sent to cancel it.

Many companies keep card details even when they say they don't. I used to use vistaprint and I used a voucher and paid shipping, but they said part of my my voucher was not included in what I bought so they used my card to debit the full price without authorization. I got my money back as my card company agreed I had not authorized it.

 

This thread is a good caveat for those bargain hunters particularly those who are easily enticed to grab at special offers in the internet. Giving bank info is tantamount to using your credit card so why would you give it to that site which is a complete stranger to you? And in exchange for the free samples that they are baiting you with, you were charged with that amount? That's really an unfortunate incident.

 

Most of those free offers and trials aren't that free. You'll be expected to pay after a while. To beat this people at their game one needs a debit card which always has a $0 balance. Even if you forget to cancel some free "trial" which expires after a number of days or free samples [with a catch] they won't get any money from you. Everyone needs to very careful. Nothing is free.

 

To be fair - although realistically speaking nothing is ever for free - I think if looking for freebies its probably way better to look out for them at brick and mortar stores - particularly as the majority of freebies offered on the internet - regardless of where the offers are found - are more often than not scams and almost always have a catch - as they generally want something in return.

Which is why - if asked for credit card or bank details it should immediately have the alarm bells ringing - for the simple reason - that the items are very clearly not free - as why else - would you be asked to provide bank or credit card information - for something that was free

 

You all make some good points here, and unfortunately some bargain hunters get sucked into a web of scams. I always use gift cards when I am doing transactions over the Internet because I am very worried about identity theft and people making unauthorized charges to my account. @Rainman also makes a good point about having a debit card with a 0 balance on it. Some companies will even charge a penny or a dollar to make sure the card is valid for payment.

 

Yikes, hopefully your bank will be more cooperative with you and reverse the charges for you. I had heard in the past that if you don't accept the package and mark return to sender that you have a better chance of getting your money back on stuff like that, but I'm not sure how it would work out with the extra cost of customs. You may be out of that customs fee for good, but I'm curious to see how the company that cheated you is going to handle the return - if they will pay the customs for the return or somehow bounce it back to you again. Keep us posted.

Something else I would caution about stuff like this, is often times people think using PayPal is more secure than paying by credit card should you get ripped off in some manner, but in my experience, PayPal has made some situations worse. I got screwed by Network Solutions and a couple other companies, auto-billing me on stuff either unexpectedly or months in advance of the renewal date, and PayPal would not cooperate with me at all. In fact they fined me too in addition to my bank account and credit card for rejected payments and insufficient funds in the accounts they tried to deduct the charges from. PayPal is just a middle man, they will pay the company (sometimes, there's no rhyme or reason really, sometimes they reject it other times they will pay it even with no funds in your account, then put your account as negative). Then they will hit up any bank accounts you have on file, and trigger a slew of insufficient funds charges if you don't have the money in them either.

 

Sorry to hear that you've lost $200 because of a scam. I'm very cautious about what I buy online. I only shop at reliable retailers. I also avoid most of the online offers I see. A good rule to follow is, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Unfortunately there a lot of shady sites that prey on those that are uninformed and gullible.

 

This is exactly what I do. I have a current account that I don't use anymore but still have the debit card for. It's invaluable for signing up to free trials and subscription services. I mainly use it to get free magazines though.

 

That is a horrible thing you have gone through. Of you are doing things like free trials, free samples, ect, do be careful. I once signed up on a site because the membership was low for the first month buy I knew I couldn't afford the regular price of membership. So what I did was cancel a few days ahead of time so they can't blame me and say that I didn't give them enough time to process my request and I wanted to be sure I would not be charged. Luckily no charges ever happened but not everyone is as lucky.

 

This is why I never click on advertisements. First of all, I don't trust any kind of promos or deals I find online. Second, if the deals are great and look trustworthy, it's still a hassle for me to avail their promos because my country is still not up to par with other countries in terms of customer service partnership with the US. Lastly, most deals found online are scams and will surely bite you in the back when you make the mistake of giving them valuable information.

 

I click on nothing and give my information to absolutely no sites unless it's something like Amazon that I use on a regular basis. I'd suggest an ad blocker, actually, just because a lot of those things are scams and you can lose a lot more than money.

 

I usually don't trust pop up ads anyway. Free is not free if I have to pay for shipping. If I have to take out my credut card for any reason I usually just say it is not the deal for me. I don't trust it.

 

I am sorry to hear that you have gone through that, and thank you for the heads up. My general rule of thumb when it comes to advertisements, whether they are pop-ups or just normal surface adverts on websites, is that I am going to avoid them. I avoid advertisements at all and any costs, because for one I am usually online to do a particular task. Not to be bombarded with adverts.

 

Thank you for the advanced warning. Though I do enjoy checking up on the offers here and on other forums I always do my due diligence before providing my bank and or card information. It is very hard to get a refund from your bank for purchases as part of a come get me offer. My bank is great about refunding blatant errors, like a merchant charging twice for the same purchase, but if it's questionable, they make you wait for the resolution that can take as long as a month. Good luck to you. Hopefully your bank will resolve it soon and you are able to get a report to IC3.Gov.

 

Thanks for the warning, @AnnMarie. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I'm always suspicious of 'free' offers, because like someone else said, nothing is ever really free. These companies always find ways of recouping their losses. I learnt the hard way over the years, after having fallen for a few 'free offers'. I hope you're able to get your money back

 

Have you tried to report it for it really sounds like a

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for how can it be free stuff when they are asking for bank information? Anything that's free should never ask for your personal information at all. Try discussing with a police officer about the site and bring your information to the local police dept. The scammers are crafty and go right away to your bank and explain your situation and talk to your local police about it asap. Good luck and I hope things work out for you.