Online credit card fraud is increasing thanks to get rich quick schemes being advertised all over the web. With unemployment hovering near 10%, these ads are attracting a whole new audience of desperate Americans.
The current wave of schemes includes two campaigns that seem to appear everywhere; the Google link scheme and the government grants plan. In the case of the Google campaign, the advertiser promises to show how you can earn $5000 per month posting links to the search giant. What does it cost to get this valuable information? Amazingly the advertiser will give it to you free and wants only a $1.98 shipping and handling fee. The government grants campaign is the same story. Learn how you can get free money from the government for just $1.98.
What most people do not see, is in the terms and conditions you have opted in to a number of monthly subscriptions that, depending on the number of advertisers in the scheme, can total close to $100 per month. These memberships are automatically applied to the credit card that you used to pay the shipping and handling fees of the original requested information.
In addition to enrolling you into these worthless monthly programs, they sell your email, phone number and mailing address to direct marketers. Shortly after you make the payment for the shipping and handling charges, you will be flooded with spam emails, junk snail mail and your phone will start ringing off the hook from telemarketers who want to tell you how to make money at home.
The first time you will be aware that you are enrolled in the monthly sites will be when you notice the charges on your credit card statement. In some instances there will only be the name of the site and no telephone number making it more difficult to contact them and cancel the memberships. In some instances you will have to Google the website name to find a forum where somebody has tracked down a phone number for the site.
If you can find a single toll free number on your statement, you have just found the customer service number for all the sites. Even if there are different 800 numbers, they all go to the same place. There is a call center in Las Vegas that handles calls for the sites.
When you call, start with the name of the site that you found the phone number on. The customer service agent will first say that you opted in for these sites and try to resell you on the idea. When you say no to that, they will say ok, we wont make any further charges. What they are not saying is that they will refund the original unauthorized charge. Your response is to make it clear that you want a refund. Stick to your guns and they will do it and send an email confirming it.
Once you have their agreement to refund on the original site, make it clear that you want the same done for the other sites. It may be that they no longer represent one of th sites and will not be able to refund for that. If that’s the case call your credit card company and explain the unauthorized charge and the fact that the vendor has no contact information. The card company should be able to resolve it from there.
The old adage of If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isnt applies here. What is so sad is that these predatory advertisers know that these difficult times are going to drive more traffic to their absolutely worthless sites and they dont have any qualms about taking the consumers money.
If you are making a first time purchase from a vendor, always read the terms and conditions. If it’s available, use PayPal to process the transaction. By using PayPal, the vendor never sees your credit card information. If that’s not an option, be sure the site is displaying the VeriSign bage that tell you they are using a secure server. Lastly, always check your credit card statements carefully and take action on any unauthorized items.
Filed under Article Writing & Marketing by 
This post came across my desk recently and I thought it was a great comment by Vancouver based Super Affiliate Marketer Rosalind Gardner .
“Written by Rosalind Gardner on March 7, 2009
According to a number of emails I’ve received over the last 2 days, it looks like some affiliates are stretching the truth (OK, preying on the desperate) when it comes to promoting ‘government grant’ offers. Apparently they’re suggesting that the business opportunities offers they promote are somehow connected with President Obama’s federal stimulus fund package.
Here’s the email I got from the Offeratti network.
An issue of the utmost importance has been brought to our attention and we felt it important enough to make all of our valued Publishers aware of it. Currently the Federal Trade Commission has been on the rampage pursuing government grants sites and any website or campaign that claims to help a consumer qualify for a share of federal stimulus funds or recovery package money.
We at Offeratti are committed to maintaining all of our offers in a Federally compliant manner. To that end, we need to remind all of our Publishers that if they are making false claims or statements to the effect that any of our programs can or will assist a consumer in receiving the aforementioned Federal recovery funds. While we do not maintain any “government grants” offers that have been
specifically targeted by the FTC, we understand that some Publishers may blur the line in an attempt to encourage sales. Our Biz Opp offers are not in any way to be connected with the Federal recovery package.
Publishers who do not follow these guidelines will be removed from the Program and their commissions will be forfeited.
All Offeratti Network Publishers must comply with the guidelines that are outlined at www.ftc.gov.
Please ensure that any advertisements you might use which are not already approved by your Affiliate Manager, are submitted for approval. Use of non-approved creatives, text ads and emails is grounds for dismissal from the Program.
While we love President Barack Obama and the spirit he has enlivened in the American people, we do not want to mislead any consumers into thinking that our campaigns are anything other than Work From
Home opportunites and not a way to participate in the Federal recovery funds.
Note especially the lines “Use of non-approved creatives, text ads and emails is grounds for dismissal from the Program” and “Publishers who do not follow these guidelines will be removed from the Program and their commissions will be forfeited“.
Quite frankly, I hope every affiliate that stooped that low is found, stripped of their commissions and never allowed to join another network or program. Not only do they give our industry as a whole a bad name, but they make merchants’ and managers’ lives difficult for having to souse them out to protect their brands and decrease creative marketing options for reputable affiliate marketers.
Boo! Hiss!!”
Thank you Rosalind You are dead on.. These leeches on the human condition have no place except being harassed and prosecuted by the FTC and consumer protection groups. Legitimate marketers need not worry.
There are many ways to earn income without scamming the desperate. A great corporate example of a good deed was the other day’s FedEx free resume day. It was helpful, socially responsible, and showed what good marketing is.
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