Fraud!!!!!

I was reading my AARP newsletter the other day and
saw there is a new type of fraud. Seem that companies
can send a product to you, for little or nothing, even telling
you it is free. You only have to pay for the shipping and
handling. What they don't tell you, or tell you in fine print,
is they are going to start charging your credit card a charge
for their product or services. So if you don't send it back or
write back and tell them NO, you don't want the services,
or product you will continue to get it and charges will be
adding up on your credit card billing.

One woman found it out by taking over her elderly mother's
bills and finances. Found out her mother had been charge
$80 a month for a service which is doubtful she got, for 3
years!! The mother not knowing or checking, just paid the
money amount to her credit card. Another woman found it
quicker as she and her son have a joint card. And a sum came
in that neither of them could explain. Found out it was again,
a service for free, that the paper work was thrown away because
they had no interest in it.

So when I received a package in the mail on Friday, one that I
did not order, and was quite puzzled about, I read the paper work
with it. And lo and behold, it was for FREE, just $2.95 for SHIPPING
and HANDLING.(which they so convientily charged to my credit card)
with the promise of sending one every other week,
at the tune of $25.95! BINGO, lights and whistles start to ring off.
And my blood pressure surely went up as well.

See I had bought a product from a company associated with this one,
last Spring. Which I sent right back as it was not what was advertised.
I sent it back so they had to sign for it, I called them but only got a
answering machine. Called my credit card and told them I had trouble with
these people and to not accept a charge from this company. They ended up
being able to call the company and told them they were cancelling the charges,
and that there had been a block put on. Then the credit card called me back
and told me about it. But it seems they kept my credit card information, and decided
they were safe enough to use it with their other name.

Which to back track a week ago before this package showed up, the credit card
company called from their fraud dept. questioning two charges. One which I ok'd.
and the other I didn't know what it was. The person said they thought it was a
video game charge. While it was only $2.95 (sound familiar?) they felt my account
had been compromised, so closed the account and had me assigned a new number.
Not knowing who had my credit card number and where it was done, it of course gave
us quite a concerned. We are really careful about our cards and not letting them out
of our sight, asking for receipts given us, and if there is a carbon, asking for that. So
to find out we had a problem worried us. I got the bill and the charge was off and the
rest were ok. So getting the package today was a double edge sword. Relief to find
out the business we used were ok, but mad as hell, to find out I had been slammed
by another company. I called the credit company and talked to the fraud department to
let them know. They are sending me paper work to fill out so they can go after them.

Oh, when I called the company to tell them that I was sending it back, and I was
upset...I was told to hold for the next service person...and then, guess what? no human,
only a recording...tell me to leave a message...(nothing about getting aback to you) well,
am sure they will delete that recording. As I told them, with out cussing, exactly how
I felt in spades!!

So watch out for what you think is junk mail. It could be one of these new scams. Which
I guess there is no law against sending something for free and then charging your credit
card for it. So keep checking your credit card bills, and make sure what you "junk" mail
says.