May 12 2009
Please tell the world about this scam that is getting bigger and bigger.
Last week I saw an ad for a $2.95 "Google Kit". I was interested and I thought for $2.95 I couldn't really loose. I am unable to get the exact same link that scammed me but below is the very same scam with a different face.
https://secure2.visualwebtools.com/GoogleATM
Anyways, if you are able to see the page you can see that they are offering something for just $2.95 shipping and handling. You can go ahead and type in a fake name, address and tel # etc just so you can get to the credit card page to see whats there.
UPDATE May 29th - I recently received an email from someone else who was duped in the same way. Here is the page he was duped by : http://scottsmoneyblog.com/make-money.html
Something I noticed about this "scottsmoneyblog" is in his profile he states "he is originally from ..." Where he is "originally from" changes depending on your IP and location. So it will always appear that he is originally from whereever you are at the time. What a complete LIE ! This is obviously just a scam to make you feel like you can relate to him because he is orginally from your hometown. Ha ha !
On the credit card entry page again you see the $2.95 shipping and handling mentioned, so I put in my card details. Little did I know that I was signing up for a $60 per month subscription. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, lo and behold there is something in small writing about it, but no one scours every square inch of a webpage. Such things, I thought, legally had to be very clear and obvious. Not so.
Up until today I always felt very safe using my credit card on the internet because I have in the past called up and disputed transactions and they were very easily removed. Therefore, I wasn't worried about buying this $2.95 kit. If it was a scam I could just call my credit card company and report the scam and get my money back right ? WRONG !!!
Unfortunately, SUBSCRIPTIONS are a completely different thing all together ! Credit card companies CANNOT cancel subscriptions. This is ridiculous, but there's nothing any of us can do about it. The fact that they are somewhat duping people into this thing makes no difference either.
In order to cancel a subscription it must be cancelled through the company that holds the subscription. I only realised today that this was a subscription service because the email address I gave on the sales page was one I give out for these types of things as I know to expect a lot of junk mail. Therefore I don't regularly check that email account. When I checked today I saw the receipt for my payment and surprise surprise my "$2.95 s&h" all of a sudden magically became a "$2.95 set-up fee". WOW ! Then I read the rest of the email and my heart stopped !
It said they were gonna take $59.95 every month, but I could cancel within 7 days. Well today was the 7th day, and when I called my credit card company they said the transaction had already been initiated.
The "Google Kit" company wasn't open when I called their cancellation number. Just a recorded message with the option to "leave a message and someone will get back to you" but then it just hangs up. No way to leave a message !
So I searched the internet for more info while waiting for this company to open and I found many many other people in the same boat. Some complained that they could never get through on the telephone line. Worse yet, some said the company required them to send back the kit before the subscription could be cancelled, but they never recieved the kit !!! They were making people jump through hoops and do somersaults before cancelling the subscription.
In the end, my credit card company called them with me on the line, got the subscription cancelled and apparantly I will be refunded the $59.95 within 22 hours. I'm not so convinced after reading the experiences of others.
Something else that scares me is I have seen others complain that MULTIPLE subscriptions were created. So my fear is perhaps I have cancelled 1 but what about the others that I don't even know about ?
I have learned a highly valuable lesson today, something I never knew before. Credit card companies are powerless to cancel subscriptions. I don't think I will ever buy anything online with a credit card again. I could run into the same problem, and I suggest to the whole world to do the same. Credit card companies don't protect us against these scum. Now, the only online payments I can trust are Paypal and Alertpay. Subscriptions can be easily cancelled with a few clicks with these 2 companies (at the moment anyways)
This "Google Kit" scam could possibly be only the beginning. Other similar scams could easily surface with the same structure. ie "sell" you something cheap, but in reality sign you up to a RIP-OFF subscription.
It's these types of scoundrels that give a bad name to internet opportunities. I am involved in a couple of internet marketing schemes, and naturally people are weary, thinking its a scam. I personally am profiting from 2 schemes (not lots of money, but I've only just started and they are both making a little bit of money, with very good potential to be making decent money after a few months). Because there are so many scams out there, my marketing work is much harder. Sure I've lost money on schemes too, but never more than $50. At least with those schemes I knew fully what I was getting into and how much I was risking.
So please be warned about the "Google Kit" and anything else that may appear similar. If I get my refund and that's the end of it, I was lucky. If you search the internet you will find MANY people were not so lucky. Please be careful.
If you are interested you can read about another potential scam here, Im still not sure if it is though.: Fast Profit Powerlines . It was only $10 and I just did out of curiousity, and at least I knew how much I was risking !
It's scams like these that make life difficult for online marketers. I am currently having success with my 3 Dollar Investment program. But because there are so many scams out there, people are afraid of getting into anything. Let's spread the word about scams so the REAL programs can have better success.
If you have any questions you can chat with my on skype user = elite-marketing or email me at comments@consultingelite.com
UPDATE - May 19 - I received my refund thankfully. Others weren't so lucky, so this warning should still be circulated.
