Have you ever been scammed?

[squibber]

It happened to me over the weekend.  Not a biggie but I hate it when people are tricked into something.

I decided to rejoin Netflix so I downloaded the Netflix app onto my Roku home screen. I clicked on the Netflix icon and a QR code image popped up on my screen. The writing at the top of the screen said "Log In With QR Code or With Your Phone" I decided to use the QR scanner on my phone and scan the QR image on my TV screen.

The screen on my phone then showed a link to Netflix at the top of my phone but the lettering was small and I ignored that. In the middle of the screen was a big box that said "Create an account in 3 easy steps". I assumed it was for Netflix so I clicked on the box. I didn't see the tiny letters that said ADVERTISEMENT.

The next screen asked for my name and credit card number so I entered all that and hit SEND. Turned out I joined a so called streaming service called FRAAVY.  It said enjoy your free trial.

I googled FRAAVY and found numerous complaints that people were tricked into signing up for FRAAVY without knowing. Several people complained that it was exteremely hard to contact them and cancel the membership. Someone said their credit card was immediately charged $49.95 and it turned out it is a monthly charge for what someone described as subpar content(movies, games, etc.)

I immediately logged into my credit card account and saw the $49.95 charge. Luckily my credit card company flagged it for possible fraud and asked me if was a valid charge. The credit card company must have known something based on previous complaints. I clicked no and they closed my account and will send me a new credit card.

I guess you can never let your guard down ever.

[Ed Vette]

In the end, they will go to jail.

[DaveBrown74]

I have. I don't really feel like recounting the details of the story because I'm frankly ashamed about the whole thing and I'm still pissed about it (was several years ago). I have also thwarted plenty of attempts in my lifetime, but I fell for one once and it was an awful feeling. Obviously you feel victimized/violated, which is never a good feeling, but I also felt very ashamed and humiliated that someone managed to outfox me in that particular instance and separate me from my hard-earned cash. Horrible feeling. I wish I could have 5 minutes alone with that person with no consequences to myself.

I am sorry to hear of your experience. Obviously, I can relate.

[T200]

I have. I don't really feel like recounting the details of the story because I'm frankly ashamed about the whole thing and I'm still pissed about it (was several years ago). I have also thwarted plenty of attempts in my lifetime, but I fell for one once and it was an awful feeling. Obviously you feel victimized/violated, which is never a good feeling, but I also felt very ashamed and humiliated that someone managed to outfox me in that particular instance and separate me from my hard-earned cash. Horrible feeling. I wish I could have 5 minutes alone with that person with no consequences to myself.

I am sorry to hear of your experience. Obviously, I can relate.

When I saw the thread, I thought, "No way am I sharing my experience!!! Too embarrassing!!!" 

Mine was about 7 or 8 years ago. We have a timeshare and they use RCI as an intermediary exchange. Because RCI only does 7-night registrations, we never use them. But our timeshare gives us two free weeks to use with RCI each year. I got a call from a company that said that they would pay us for our free weeks so they could "rent" them out for conferences and such. I forget exactly why they wanted money upfront, but I ended up paying them about 1500 dollars.

Of course, nothing ever materialized because... SCAM! lol

The shame and embarrassment is because I considered myself to be scam-proof. As an IT and network professional for over 30 years, I'm very IT and internet savvy. I believe I have a good amount of common sense. I just didn't use it in that situation. I don't feel like a victim because I should have known better.

[squibber]

A year and a half ago a friend talked me into investing money in a Bitcoin mining company. He was convinced the website and company was legit so I invested $3,000 into it.  The dividends were credited to my account for a while but then they went dark. I was unable to withdraw any of my money before it was too late.

No crypto for me ever again.

[Ed Vette]

A year and a half ago a friend talked me into investing money in a Bitcoin mining company. He was convinced the website and company was legit so I invested $3,000 into it.  The dividends were credited to my account for a while but then they went dark. I was unable to withdraw any of my money before it was too late.

No crypto for me ever again.

Wanna buy an Oil Well in Kearny NJ?

[squibber]

I'm in, Ed! I also invested in a company that makes telegraph equipment. The telegraph will make a come back. Mark my words! Haha

[LennG]

Happy to say I have never been a victim of a scam. I've made some poor choices based on wrong or limited info but I wouldn't consider that being scammed.
It ain't easy these days though.

[EDjohnst1981]

Yes, recently in fact. Someone stole some personal data which led to scammers taking out contracts for devices such as iPhones, iPads and laptops etc.

These were obviously not paid for and I got the letters for the money. This impacted my credit rating, at a time where I was in the process of renewing my mortgage. It was a complete nightmare and I had a huge impact on my credit rating.

Very stressful to be honest and I must have accidentally thrown a letter away with my details on.