Sneaky scam

[lynbrown]

A few months ago I bought my Railcards online. On Sunday, I read an article in my paper telling about a scam that happens when you shop on line. A banner appers to offer £10 off future purches so thinking this related to train travel, i filled it in. It now transpires that for the last 5 months £10 has come from my account to a company called Shopping Discounts. This is not what I expected and I would never have signed up for that. I hold my hands up - I have not checked my statements properly and had not missed the tenner each month. But it seems this is big business and imported from the USA. Please examine your bank statements carefully if you have ever bought online. They have now agreed to stop taking the money.

[factor-fiction]

So did you also key in your banking details?

[lynbrown]

Yes, when I purchased the railcard. It seems that by accepting the mis leading offer of £10 off, I 'allowed' them to access my bank details. Try searching under Shopperdiscounts.co.uk and read all the scams that go on.

[hc4361]

You should also get a full refund, lyn.

[AB Editor]

As a general rule, avoid keying your bank details into pop-ups.

[hc4361]

Ed, you don't - that's the problem.

You make your purchase from a respected site such as Ticketmaster or Interflora.
Then you get a pop up offering a discount on future purchases. You need only tick the box, the company you bought from passes on your credit card details

[AB Editor]

"Then you get a pop up offering a discount on future purchases. You need only tick the box, the company you bought from passes on your credit card details "

It's certainly dodgy - but if it "pops up" 99% of the time it's an ad.

[hc4361]

Of course you tick the box to say you have read the terms and conditions, and indeed the terms are there in the small print.
Problem is people tick these boxes willy nilly, usually because the t&cs are pages long and boring.

[lynbrown]

The way it happens is done to make you think you are still with the company you are dealing ih - Trainline, Pizza Hut, Freemans catalogue etc. Lots of reputable companies but the discount part is a deliberate scam.

[hc4361]

It's not strictly a scam because the t&cs are there to be read which state there will be a monthly £10 fee.

[lynbrown]

TBH I dont think there were any T&cs for that company. Yes, there would be for the original purchase, but not for a separate purchase masquerading as part of the original. It is mis-leading.

[hc4361]

Are they refunding all your money?
They should do.

[overthetop]

Well, I did subscribe to this when I concluded a booking at a hotel which I go to frequently. But I WAS asked to give my account details and knew as soon as I signed off that I'd made an error of judgement. It still took me three months to unsubscribe (which couldn't have been easier). More money than sense me .....

[Buenchico]

The 'discount' company is guilty of sharp practice and (unless you're in the habit of reading newspapers which are 19 months old) your newspaper appears to be guilty of plagiarism!
http://www.guardian.c...discounts-and-rewards

Chris