Much of the stuff that comes via email or phone is easy to spot as a Scam. Some, while not a Scam, I believe borders on a Scam. When OnLine purchasing, a Token is placed on our account/Subscription. The one-off purchase is not a problem. When making annual subscriptions it is a problem. Family researchers have many helpful sites to subscribe to, use for awhile, then forget them, until a payment turns up in our bank statement. We find it is a forgotten subscription which has now been Renewed. In most cases there is no advice received - Renewal is due. I tried to cancel a subscription - was difficult. I found much easier to take out a subscription than it was to cancel the following year (something Bank officer agreed with). One I was trying to cancel, then received an email from them - "update my Credit card" - the card had "expired", I believed it could not be used. Bank statement showed payment taken from an "expired" credit card, they had the details of the New Credit Card, which their Token allowed them access to. I contacted them asked how payment could be taken from an expired card, I was just told they had a 14 day cooling off period & were happy to refund my payment. Another two subscriptions, renewals taken without advice, refunds were received through my bank. I assumed that would be the end of the matter. Note, they do not refuse to refund. 12 months later one of the subscriptions reversed, was Renewed again, in my bank statement. I learned how Tokens worked, which may be of convenience to some people who want to get their daily newspaper delivered every day, year in year out. But an Annual Subscription is different, we used to get a Renewal form in the post. A Renewal can now be taken from an expired credit card or a new credit card they have not been given approved to use. Initially I was advised by my Bank - cancel current Credit Card & get new card. Similar advice generally given by all to solve the problem. INCORRECT, an "Expired" or "New" Credit card can have funds taken from them, without our knowledge. One would assume having got a New Credit Card, it could not be accessed, but surprise surprise, it can. We used to get a Renewal Notice each year - we Renewed, or we didn't. For many of these company's it is their way of obtaining funds as many people either forget a subscription or its date of renewal. We used to receive a Renewal Notice a month before due date. I found one exception, who did advise Renewal due & when I finally cancelled every OnLine account, they were the only one who confirmed my cancellation. It may not be a SCAM, but it is DECEIT being used to defraud us by taking yearly memberships without notice of being due. All done by computer, therefore not difficult to spit out renewal notices due. IT IS DECEIT & FRAUD. I could name the companies I did business with & obtained refunds from, companies I would never do business with again. While I never did a lot of On-Line purchasing, I now avoid it like the plague. Only one Research place I will now deal with & another who do not charge fees. Millions of $ have probably been extracted by these companies from the huge number of people who have & still do family research.
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