Subscription Traps and Deceptive Free Trials Scam Millions with Misleading Ads and Fake Celebrity Endorsements BBB International Investigations Initiative BBB Chicago
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[email protected] C. Steven Baker
[email protected] Issued December 2018 Introduction ou’ve seen them on the internet: ads or links leading to pictures of celebrities and products that sound Yintriguing. The ads claim these “miracle” products will help you lose weight easily, combat wrinkles or whiten teeth. Often, fraudulent operations involved with these types of ads employ the latest internet marketing techniques and professional looking websites. You may be enticed to try these products through a “risk-free” trial. You might think they seem like a good deal. You only have to pay $1.95 for shipping and handling. The claims look plausible, and celebrities would not endorse a product unless they believed it works. There may be a risk that the product doesn’t work as claimed, but it costs next to nothing to find out. Just enter your name, address and credit card number and act quickly; supplies are limited. Better Business Bureau’s (BBB’s) in-depth investigative study found that many of these free trial offers are not free. They do not just send free product samples to try. If you can locate and read the fine print on the order page, or the terms and conditions buried by a link, you’ll discover that you may have only 14 days to receive, evaluate and return the product to avoid being charged $100 or more.