PN
08-03-2009, 09:16 PM
There was an article recently in CNet (http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10293633-93.html) about "mystery charges" showing up on credit card statements. For example, if you go to Buy.com or Orbitz to make a purchase, at some point in the transaction you get an intercept page for a coupon for $10 off, and they are asking for an e-mail address. In order to complete the transaction you will need to put in your e-mail address. This seems rather benign because it is not asking for your credit card information. By entering in your e-mail address, you have agreed to enroll in a service program. In the fine print it says that you will be charged for this service. It turns out that you have given your credit card information to a third party.
According to the CNET article, John Lowensohn, who is on the staff at CNET and a long time Web shopper, noticed that his credit card was being billed $12 a month for the past eight months. At the present time the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee is investigating WebLoyalty, Vertrue, and Affinion, which are the companies who make the “cash back” coupon offers to customers and then charge those who enroll in their loyalty programs.
According to the CNET article, John Lowensohn, who is on the staff at CNET and a long time Web shopper, noticed that his credit card was being billed $12 a month for the past eight months. At the present time the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee is investigating WebLoyalty, Vertrue, and Affinion, which are the companies who make the “cash back” coupon offers to customers and then charge those who enroll in their loyalty programs.