Some days, you’d really love to tell a company just how you feel about their shoddy products, poor customer service and outrageously long delivery times.
If they throw in a freebie when you respond to their survey, well, all the better.
But put that righteous anger on pause. It’s once again time to beware of the scammers.
I heard about a scam the other day when a family member ended up responding to an emailed survey. The company wanted him to tell them about his experience.
For his time, he was offered a list of free products and he then selected a $49.95 headlamp on a headband, the kind you can use for camping or doing odd jobs around the house. All he had to do was pay $6.95 for shipping costs.
How ‘free’ can cost you $49.95
The problem? He paid the shipping charge — and then got hit a few days later with a $49.95 charge for that “free” item. Fortunately, this consumer checks his bank account online every morning and immediately called the bank to put a stop to that sneaky $49.95 charge.
He did get the headlamp, which isn’t worth anything close to $50.
The survey scam, much like the old Internal Revenue Service impersonation scam, hides behind a big name that’s likely to grab your attention. Along the way, it will also grab your ID information, possible access to your bank account and your credit card number.
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