over charging, unauthorized withdrawls, refusal to refund my money
Complaint
Joy from California
Country: United States
I signed up to a web-site that was offering free access on how to apply for a grant from the government to start a new business or go back to school. I agreed to the 2.95 charge,but they failed to explain you only have access to the web-site for 1 day after that your charge $59.98 for a subscription, they also charged me twice for a international buying charge of around 2 or 3 dollars each. The problem starts off with them giving you a phony user name and password that you can't use. When you contact their support @ fedpack.com. they wait to contact you until the next day. They gave me another user name and password, that I was able to use. Less than 2 hours later they are deducting from my bank account 4 times. The name on my account reads ERMGRANTMILLAIRI called the number listed on their website for support 866-358-7420 they give you a phony e-mail address for refunds. I'm praying they don't keep deducting from my acount, I don't know what to do, maybe shut down my account that I've had for over 20 years???? "PLEASE LET EVERYONE KNOW THIS IS A RIPOFF COMPANY SCAMMING PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY.
Comments
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/unorthorized-charges-on-credit-card-c296613.html
Note that there are indications from the complaints that the website was deliberately constructed in a deceptive manner, so that the terms are only seen when entered through some paths, but not through others. This allows the scammer, when challenged, to provide the "correct" link, through which the disclosure of terms is visible.
With this type of scam, the link to the terms is often obscured by putting it in fine print, at the bottom of a very long landing page, and the page actually disclosing the terms may be in difficult to read fine grey on white print, buried in a very long "contract" with long paragraphs. Basically, they will do everything they can do to disclose without disclosing.
These are common deceptive marketing tactics with on-line "negative option free trial" scams, trying to claim there was some contract "agreed" to, even while they did everything they could to make sure the consumer never saw the terms, and the consumer in fact did not see them.
There are numerous "government grant" scams built on the same model: offer some "trial offer" at a teaser price, then cram on larger charges as fast as they can, claiming the consumer "agreed" to some "membership". Usually the "terms" are disclosed somewhere, but the disclosure is designed to be obscured and hidden, so that numerous consumers are suckered in.
There may be some period in which supposedly you could have cancelled, but this type of scam generally arranges things so that in fact you will never be able to cancel, either because they don't tell you how, because you can't reach them, or because they ignore or "lose" your cancellation request.
They may also start cramming charges under different names, in case you try to block them only under the name you know about. They may also operate under various names, to difuse the many complaints they generate and reduce risk of prosecution. Transferring the money overseas is also common with this type of scam, as they try to put additional barriers in the way of disputing or prosecution.
Immediately contact your bank to dispute their fraudulent charges, and close and block the account due to fraud to prevent additional charges. You must dispute through your bank within 60 days of the statement date of the statement showing the charges to dispute under FRB Reg. E (for checking account EFT or debit card charges) or FCBA (for credit card charges).
File fraud complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, and www.ic3.gov
Be sure that you do not let them get away with this behavior!!! CHALLENGE THEM!
lesson learnt, eh? But .org sounded legit, right? Guess that I should be more cautious and research these things further where possible. The key is that this site was unavailable until payment was made; then you find you've been scammed (again).