I purchased an item on what I THOUGHT was a secured website from an ad saw on TV from a company called Idea Village. A week later, I received a cell phone call from a telemarketer from MWI Connections asking if I wanted to receive a trial "savings" package and they promised free movie tickets, dinner, etc. I was in my car driving to an appointment and said, "sure, why not".
I forgot that nothing is REALLY free and I was also a little confused why they were calling me on my new cell phone number. Then I remembered that I used that number when ordering the Idea Village product. They were supposed to send me a packet ot look over and instead they charged to my debit card, $1. Okay, it's only $1 and I should consider myself the lucky one compared to the horror stories I have been reading regarding this company.
I became a little puzzled and confused. How did they get my card number and cell phone number and why didn't I question that. THEY ARE QUICK WITH THEIR SALE AND DON'T GIVE YOU TIME TO THINK!!! She mentioned that the program was $80 or so dollars after the 30-day trial period. I realized that since they easily got my buck, they would also take it upon themselves to my debit card account and get this additional $80 PLUS.
What a scam. I first called Idea Village and they insisted that they are in no way affiliated with this MWI Connections. I mentioned that they should take off their disclaimer that the consumer is ordering from a secure site because it is untrue. The bank gave me the telephone number for MWI Connections and I called them to ask them a few questions. I asked them how they got my personal information and she said I called her to order one of their products but couldn't tell me what the product was.
I told her I did not call her and she insisted I did. I argued that I did not and was sure that I would have remembered and I mentioned that I bought something from Idea Village online and asked if they were affiliated. She said that they were not (I think they are both lying to protect someone). I also mentioned that if they acquired my personal information without authorization that this was illegal and I would be reporting it to the District Attorney (who loves this stuff) in my state. I gave her one more chance to admit that Idea Village was affiliated with MWI Connections, which would have cleared them from any illegal stuff, because the disclaimer states that this information can be passed to any of it's affiliates.
Anyhow, I learned a lesson of wasted time versus money and would like for the rest of you that may read this (hopefully, not too late) that the important message is... If a telemarketer calls to offer you a product and has your credit card information in their database... Ask them how they got it and if it is a company you don't want to have this information, tell them to lose your name and personal information from their database.
Identity theft, consumer fraud, etc. Is growing rapidly in this country. Don't think that it won't happen to you. So many of us have busy lives and may not question an unauthorized transaction... That's what these companies are hoping for. After three months, it's almost impossible to have your bank reverse these charges.
Regards,
Christina Beat
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