No doubt you've heard the old saying "if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is."
But even the best of us have been caught off guard by a slick talker or something that appears to be on the level.
Let's face it, it's human nature to want something for little or no effort. And that's exactly what con artists, flim flam men and online schemes count on.
Whether it's a scheme to cash a check, the the old bait and switch [the shell game or 3 card Monte] or an online scheme it all ends the same. They give you nothing and you lose money.
Recently I fell for it in the form of an online scheme that claimed I would get a free I-Pad just by answering a few survey questions. This particular scheme that got me was a variation of the pyramid scheme where they ask you to complete a series of seemingly harmless task to build your confidence and trust. It began with me first responding to a link on Facebook that got my name and other personal information with the promise of free samples and even money for answering "paid surveys."
I began receiving E-mails from various companies offering me free samples or money to answer surveys. I even got some free samples of some items.
Then an offer came along to get a free I-Pad so I jumped on the opportunity being that my PC is a world of problems these days and the many hardships of using second party computers to due the many task that the digital age has forced on us all.
So I began answering the survey and started noticing that there were "special offers" that I would be billed for later or would only cost a few dollars and I could cancel at any time. I answered an ad from a company called Eagle Moss that promised to send me a $1 silicone muffin tin just for joining their club and would receive more items that i could return.
Within the same "Survey" another company "free shipping .com" offered me free shipping for some items bought online [little did I know Eagle Moss offered free shipping] for a non-refundable $12.95. I figured why not, I'm getting a free I-Pad right?
As the various companies and offerers were made I realized they were all asking for small amounts of money using my debit or credit so I decided eventually they would add up to more than the cost of an I-Pad.
When I received the baking cups from Eagle Moss and saw how shabby they were I decided to cancel and get my money back. When I contacted them they told me it only cost me a dollar and since I opened it it would cost more than what I spent.
Then my account got an overdraft fee so I went to the bank and inquired. I was told I was being charged by Eagle Moss so I contacted them again and they told me a package had been shipped out before I canceled so I should just write return to sender on it and bring it back to the post office. I got another over draft fee, so again I called them and was told it could take 7-10 business day's for them to receive it.
After 14 business days passed I called them once again and was told they would refund my money but it could take 3-5 business days. It took about 3, but I still got the overdraft charges. And even though I canceled the shipping .com account it was not refunded. Don't let this happen to you. All that glitters is not gold or a shiny new I-Pad !