Subscription Trap Scam
Free trials silently convert to expensive subscriptions. Cancellation made deliberately difficult.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠"Free" requiring credit card
- ⚠Terms in tiny text
- ⚠Celebrity endorsements (usually fake)
- ⚠No clear pricing on page
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →READ TERMS before entering payment
- →SCREENSHOT offer pages
- →USE virtual cards (Privacy.com)
- →DISPUTE charges if cancellation blocked
More Details
- “Free trial - just pay shipping”
- “Cancel anytime (impossible)”
- “As seen on Shark Tank (fake)”
- “Risk-free trial (auto-bills $99/month)”
Common Questions
Check for: prices 80%+ off, no reviews on BBB/Trustpilot, recently created domain (WHOIS), only accepts wire/crypto.
Fake pet listings with stolen photos. After deposit, endless fees: crate, insurance, customs. The pet doesn't exist.
Use Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek. For peer sales, insist on in-app transfer. Meet at venue, enter together before paying.
Dispute with credit card company. Report to FTC and FBI IC3. Always use credit cards for fraud protection.
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73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)