Some people believe everything they read. Credit: AMRosario/Flickr
I recently learned about two common scams at a savvy-shopping summit hosted by ShopSmart magazine, a publication by Consumer Reports. Way beyond Nigerian princes begging for money, this stuff could really trick you.
1. Fake endorsement. This one looks like a web ad from a TV station claiming a product, like diet pills, really works, says Federal Trade Commission lawyer Tracey Thomas. What might trick is you the comments from “real” consumers. But the news sites and comments are fake, and Tracy has yet to see any testing to back up the miracle claims.
2. Almost free trial. The second scam Tracey talked about was
an almost free trial offer for another miracle pill or treatment. You get hooked on the super low price, but if you sign up your credit card will be charged for all sorts of stuff you never agreed to, like a monthly club fee and additional products you never agreed to. Want to cancel? They don’t make it easy.
Check out the FTC’s Scam Watch page.
Bonus: Heard of Best Buy’s Optimization Service? Meg Marco from Consumerist, a blog that was purchased by Consumer Reports in 2009, ragged on Best Buy for tacking on a $40 charge for a computer service that is “superficial.” The problem is that when pressed, a salesperson might say they did not have any non-optimized computers in stock, thereby denying the customer the advertised price. Meg was clear Best Buy is not scamming consumers, but was clearly irked by the practice. Note, in Meg’s post on Best Buy she writes that 1 out of 18 secret shoppers were told no pre-optimized computers were available, so it’s unclear how widespread this practice is.
Ever gotten scammed or tricked? Leave a comment or email me your story.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
A scam that caught a good friend…she ordered coffe from a online company that calls them self Seattle’s Best…this a brand of coffee we both buy in the markets…they had low price and were giving a coffee maker with your first order…when it came it was really a play on words, not “Seattle’s Best”…but they promised a money back…but..if you requested the free coffee maker…you were joining a club that they sent you every 2 weeks more coffee…and did not send as they promised a RMA to send the coffee back…they charged her credit card and sent more coffee…Thank goodness that the VP of her bank was a close friend…he got credit card company to charge back everything.
@William The offer is different, but the way the coffee scammers got your friends sounds a lot like the FTC scams Tracey shared. Most credit cards only let you contest charges made in the past 30 days, so if you miss checking one statement, you stand to lose. I’m glad your friend fought it and won!
I’ve seen both of these scams…the fine print is there…just have to read it. Anytime you set yourself up for autobill on someone else’s site, you’re asking for trouble. Better to set it up with your bank or your credit card on THEIR site.
@Elizabeth aka Lacquered Lizard I totally agree – autopay is not a bargain hunter’s friend. Only time I agree to auto pay is if I set it up (like with my cell bill) or for a magazine subscription. I’m good at putting a note in my calender to re-consider whether I want to continue subscribing or not.
@EllieD Absolutely! The “too good to be true” check is the best one to fishy deals.
And this usually is a good rule of thumb: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
It usually is in the fine print. But how many of us take the time to plow through that stuff? When was the last time any of us actually read through one of those computer site agreements before clicking on “accept” or “agree”? Another good rule of thumb: “Buyer beware!”
@ Elizabeth aka LL and BB ~ I have no problem paying for things online such as utilities, phone bills, etc. But I do not set up auto-pay for anything, even on a trusted site like a utility. For me, it’s a matter of control. I want to decide when I pay. Or maybe I’m just a control freak.:-)
@Diane Hehehe, maybe you have control freak tendencies. I’d rather set up auto pay and not miss a bill, plus you can get email reminders to check your bill before the autopay kicks in.