How to Quickly Identify an Internet Scam Site
Recognize Fraudulent Internet Ads and Avoid Them
Aug 23, 2009
This is a common website introduction for internet scams. There are a plethora of scam companies on the internet, and they all employ similar website designs.
Typical Web Design for a Scam Site
Many of these sites are written with bright colors to catch the eye, and writing big enough for anyone to read without their glasses. The shipping and handling seems to be a bargain for less than $5- until the unsuspecting victim looks at their bank or credit card statement with shock to find anywhere from $79 to $87 (or more) charged.
There is usually a sign on the site warning that there only “so many” free trials left of this amazing product, so don’t miss out! Hurry and order today before they’re all gone! This is a pressure tactic. (Save the site and visit it next week- the same amount of “free trials” will still be there.)
A lot of these sites have pictures of trusted celebrities with endorsements in quotes that the celebrity uses this or that product with miraculous results. (The truth is, though, that the endorsements are false. Many of these sites are being sued.)
Hidden Terms and Conditions Clauses- A Sure Sign of Fraud
If the customer manages to find a phone number that works and gets through the hold time, they are rudely treated, hung up on or told they should have read the “terms and conditions” on the site before they ordered. Nothing on the face page of the site says this. The “terms and conditions” on the page is at the very bottom, in writing 1/8th inch tall (without glasses nearly impossible to see) and in almost the same color as the background. This is intended to make it as hard as possible for the customer to find.
In these pages, the customer is told they have been signed up for an account. Nothing in the ordering process of the “free trial” says that. Every month the customer’s card or bank will be charged. No specific dollar amount is given, leaving many people with overdrawn accounts.
What’s really free on these sites? The customer service department will state that there is no free product even though the site says “free trial of xxx.” The “free” trial might just be 15 days free to cancel the account the customer doesn’t know they’ve been set up for. That’s the scam. If a car dealer advertised “free use of a vehicle for a week” then charged the customer’s bank account for the full price of the vehicle, they’d be prosecuted and shut down in a week.
Returning the unwanted product must be done according to that company’s rules or there will be no refund. Simply writing “return to sender” won’t get a refund for the customer. The customer needs to call and get a RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number. Write this number on the box and send it back to the address given by customer service. The refund will be given, according to customer service, in a few business days. According to the “terms and conditions” part of the site, said refund can take up to 30 days to appear on a statement. So, the customer faces an uphill battle. The terms and conditions also may state that the company reserves the right to refuse refunds to customers who repeatedly ask for them. Now that’s not only rude, that’s a scam.
The problem with these sites is that there are so many of them and while getting one site shut down can happen, the company has set up 15 or 20 more just like it. All of the sites are set up in a similar manner, so it pays to look closely at them.
Quickly Recognize a Scam Site so You Can Avoid Them
Recognizing these sites quickly is the only way to stop them. Here’s a review of the steps given above.
- The site has large lettering and bright colors with the warning that there only a few free trials left.
- It does seem too good to be true- a free sample of a “miracle” product for only the cost of shipping and handling.
- The terms and conditions are extremely hard to find because of their font size and the color nearly matching the page.
- The customer’s card is charged full price immediately- not at the end of the “free trial period” like the “terms and conditions” states.
- The customer service number isn’t always a working number. This should be a flashing red flag for anyone to avoid the site.
- Before ordering from any unfamiliar site, always do the following:
- If a celebrity endorsement is given, go to that celebrity’s home page and check. If an endorsement of that product isn’t there, don’t order from that site.
- Put your glasses on and look for the “terms and conditions” page. Read it thoroughly.
- See if the product is available from Amazon or from some other store. It might cost a little more to try the product, but not as much as being scammed.
The author is currently engaged in a battle with a scam site. The information is given to help others keep from getting caught in the same trap.
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