Desert Messenger

32 www.DesertMessenger.com February 5, 2020 County Landfill Transfer Station now on Winter Hours The Quartzsite Transfer Station is now on their WINTER hours. They are open Sunday thru Wednes- day, 7:30am to 2:30pm. Dump your trash for free at the Transfer Station. Please cover your load. For more info call the Main landfi ll 928- 916-1253 or Main offi ce at 928-854- 9152. The transfer station is locat- ed north of Town, just off Hwy. 95, near the Sewer Treatment Plant. BBB Study Warns About Subscription Traps and Deceptive "Free Trials" Scamming Millions with Misleading Ads and Fake Celebrity Endorsements BBB shares its latest study on sub- scriptions and free trial scams and urges consumers to be cautious and refrain from making impulsive buy- ing decisions especially when online ads seem too good to be true. Usually found on the internet, these ads or links feature pictures of ce- lebrities and products that sound intriguing. They claim these "mir- acle" products will help someone lose weight easily, combat wrinkles or whiten teeth. Often, fraudulent operations, involved with these types of ads, employ the latest in- ternet marketing techniques and have professional looking websites. Some may think it seems like a good deal and sign up for a "risk- free" trial with only $1.95 required for shipping and handling. People may believe the claims look plau- sible and celebrities would not en- dorse a product unless it works. The product may not work as claimed but it costs next to nothing to fi nd out. It only requires one to enter their name, address and credit card number and act quickly because supplies are limited. Better Business Bureau's (BBB) in-depth investigative study found many of these "free" trial offers are not free. They do not just send free product samples to try. If con- sumers can locate and read the fi ne print, or the terms and conditions buried by a link, they will discover they may have only 14 days to re- ceive, evaluate and return the prod- uct to avoid being charged $100 or more. In addition, the same hidden information may state by accept- ing the offer a buyer signed up for monthly shipments of the product and monthly charges, too. Many people fi nd it diffi cult to contact the seller to stop recurring charges, halt shipments and get a refund. The study found most of the celeb- rity endorsements are fake. Dozens of celebrity names are used by these fraudsters, without their knowledge or permission, ranging from Oprah Winfrey, Chrissy Teigen and Ellen Degeneres to Mike Rowe, Tim Allen and Sally Field. Sometimes the fi ne print admits these endorsements are not real. BBB receives complaints from free trial offer victims nearly every day and warns consumers to use ex- treme caution before agreeing to the offer and entering their credit card information. The chance of en- countering this type of deception is high; they have infested the internet and social media. Solving this issue will require widespread education, intervention by law enforcement and work by credit card companies to recognize these types of fraudu- lent activities and deter access to the credit card system. Losses in cases of this type, pursued by the Federal Trade Commission BBB warns about subscription traps (FTC) over the last ten years, total more than $1.3 billion. Scammers have created a billion dollar global industry. Free trial offers can be legitimate ways to introduce new products. Credible companies will make sure consumers understand what they are signing up for and do not hide key information. Megan Olsen at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the trade association for the major dietary supplement companies, says, "No legitimate company selling dietary supplements would engage in bo- gus free trial offers, trick people into subscriptions for continuing shipments, make outrageous un- supportable claims for products or employ the names of celebri- ties without permission. In fact, we work with BBB to identify bogus product claims and encourage law enforcement action against decep- tive practices." The fraud involves a variety of players, from those who obtain the products, to advertisers, shippers and credit card processors. Howev- er, locating these operations can be tough and identifying those behind them, challenging. This study shows the scope of the problem, describes the components that make fraudulent operations successful, discusses efforts to com- bat this deception and offers recom- mendations. For more information and details about how the scam works, demo- graphics most affected and where to fi le a complaint, please read the complete BBB study here. For more information or to sched- ule an interview with a BBB spokes- person, please contact Kryistyna Hook at 928-302-3701 or kryistyna. hook@bbbcommunity.org Reprinted by permission of the Bet- ter Business Bureau, © 2019 Readership of free community papers is now higher than paid daily papers and continues to grow. And more than 70 percent of readers make their buying decisions from free paper advertising and editorial. Your free community paper, promoting connections at a local level – right under your nose. 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com Desert Messenger offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com

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