unauthorized charges
Complaint
meg
Country: United States
there is a company called Explore USA that has charged me 2 times for the amount of $16.95. i have not ordered anything from this company nor have i received anything from this company. their telemarketers call me and when i say i have not ordered anything from them they immediately hang up on me, i called the number on my bank statement which is 1-800-475-1942 and talked to a woman, she told me that they would have gotten my account number off something i got online. well the only thing i purchase on line is my skin care treatment and my bills(electric, water, ect). The woman i spoke to at Explore USA told me that i would be refunded the 16.95 and my membership, which i never purchased, would be canceled. before i could ask her about the other debit from my account they made she hurried off the phone. i tried to call back from the phone line i was using and they had blocked that number. so i called back from my cellular phone and got through and talked to another woman "Kristine" she assured me that confirmation for a reimbursement of both debits would be sent to my email address and the credit would be put on my account. just out of pure curiosity i called back from my cellular phone to see if they had blocked that number as well and they had. the credit has not been put on my account nor have i received any confirmation that my account, that i did not sign up for, is canceled. i am going to close my bank account and reopen it again to keep this fraudulent company from making any future debits from my account. but i would like something to be done about this company. can anyone help??
Comments
"Confirmation of reimbursement"? The only confirmation that would matter is if the money actually showed up back in your account. They might even use your provided e-mail address to claim it is "confirmation" you "ordered" their "product", whatever that is.
Contact your bank immediately to dispute the fraudulent charge and close the account. Follow up in writing to preserve your rights under FCBA and Reg. E. Do not depend on any "assurances", since as long as they have your valid account information, they can resume charging you in the future.
Other similar complaints. They appear to be getting account information from other businesses, then sometimes making a telemarketing call supposedly to "confirm" the "free trial membership". I would suspect your "skin-care" product company passed them your account information, since there are a number of shady on-line "health product" companies known to do this sort of thing.
There appear to be a family of similar "membership scam" reports tied to bank statement entries beginning with "WC*".
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-475-1942
https://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8004751942
File complaints with FTC, your state AG, and the MN AG.
When you change your bank account number, DO NOT get, activate, or use DEBIT CARDS! They are a vulnerability to this sort of fraud since they directly tap your checking account, potentially disrupting your legitimate bill paying and screwing up your credit. Use ONLY credit cards for retail or on-line purchases, since the banks are more likely to catch and block fraudulent transactions when their own money is on the line.
This can also happen if you let someone make a purchase using your information. The information is only pass on b/c the membership has been accepted.
The company can't & doesn't block your number from calling. They will give you your money back. Once you request the refund they release the funds to your finacial institution and you are advised it takes "1-2 billing statements for the refund to show on your paper statement" b/c each financial institution has there own time frame. The refund is usually in your account w/in 7 bus. days but some people can't read thei statements correctly and mistake the refund for another charge.
excuses.http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/325/RipOff0325669.htm
Lots of excuses: Not only can't you read the web page you supposedly checked, you aren't getting your mail to get the information needed to cancel, your bank is delaying their refund, and you can't even read your own statements!
Even if you believe you have never signed up for this "membership", have cancelled, have confirmed your cancellation with the company, etc. etc, you may STILL find their charges on your account.
Wait "1 to 2 billing statements" to see a refund show up? If you wait 60 days past the statement showing the unauthorized charge, you lose your FCBA rights and your bank won't help you recover it. GREAT ADVICE!
Always immediately dispute all fraudulent or unauthorized charges with your bank, and close that account to prevent future fraudulent charges. Follow up in writing to preserve your FCBA dispute rights. File complaints with FTC, and your state AG.