Unscrupulous Ads

Financially we are all feeling the pinch, but are times really that bad that large news agencies will allow unscrupulous advertisers making use of advertising in order to lure consumers into shady deals?

Recently Huffington Post ran a headline: “How I Make $1700 a Week Posting Links on Google”.

Salon displayed a similar ad yesterday, showing a newspaper clipping with the headline, “Can You Really Work Online at Home? We Investigate This Trend.” Click through the Salon ad, and John B. Guiseman’s story at the Miami Gazette News reports glowingly — but with a convincing patina of journalistic distance — about software called Easy Google Profits.

Consumers clicking on these links and signing up for trials are lured into a position where up to $80 will be charged to their credit cards on a monthly basis. When enquiring on the charges, consumers will be informed that they agreed to terms and conditions which the read and understood.

Recently Slate advertised an anti-aging pill called Resveratrol Ultra. Here TV Reporter and Health Specialist Katie Wilson promote the product saying it is a feel good story for the ages! Once signing up for the free sample, the company would charge $80 a month to your credit card, until such a time you cancel the subscription.

Protecting oneself against these scams

Be careful when you click any link on any website. Because the link appears on a well-known website does not mean that you will not be scammed!

When signing up for test or trial products, even free samples, always look for the terms and conditions and spend some time reading through it. It is often here where consumers are lured into financial traps.