Re: Google Treasure Chest Internet Scam, credit card fraud, and possibly postal fraud.
Www.googletreasurechest.com
Google Treasure Chest
970 W. Broadway, Ste E347,
Jackson, WY 83001
866-951-1406 hrs Mon - Fri 9 to 5
[email protected]
This is my experience with Google Treasure Chest
On or about the 6th of April I bought a DVD from an ad on a website for information about making money working at home. This was a simple ad just for information about work at home opportunities on a DVD and nothing else. I did a simple debit card transaction for this purchase,
in the amount of $1.97. While waiting for my online receipt I was re-directed, (hijacked) without my rmission, to a website with the message "that I
might enjoy looking around for more opportunities to get me started."
I was puzzled about why I was directed to the site and thought that that was where I needed to wait for the online receipt. I did not receive an online purchase receipt. On the site I was asked to register a user name and password in order to be able to return to the site. I did not think too much about this as a lot of websites that have extensive information or files to download
do this. I thought I might return later to explore and I chose a username and password. Upon looking around a little I could see that the site was nothing but junk ads and worthless information that is easily found all over the internet. I lost interest and left the site in disgust.
A few days later the DVD arrived. Then a few days later, April 16th, an "unauthorized" debit card transaction in the amount $72.21 was taken from my bank account. I
emailed them Inquiries about this matter and they do not
respond to email. When I investigated the source of this transaction I find that it was Google Treasure Chest claiming it is for membership in that bogus scam
website that they placed me on without my permission.
There was no disclosure on the DVD Ad website where I bought the DVD that this was to be the case, or that I was being sent to a paid membership site, nor
was there any "front page" disclosure on the either website about that being it's purpose.
Nothing was offered to give one a chance to make an
informed decision. They did not get a"digital signature permission" to start charging my debit card for a membership of any kind, and I am sure that the
law requires them to get some kind of digital signature agreement for them to even be able to debit my bank account, especially for a reoccurring debit.in investigating into this matter further I found hidden on the bottom of the Google Treasure Chest site a link to their terms and conditions which states:
Terms & Conditions
Advanced Consent
You understand that this consumer transaction involves your advanced consent (also called a negative
option), and you may be liable for payment of future goods and services under the terms of this
agreement if you fail to notify the supplier not to supply the goods or services described. For future
purchases, googletreasurechest.com reserves the right to make modifications and changes at any time, to these terms and conditions that are deemed necessary, without prior notification. Shipping & Other Fees
Upon submitting a request for Membership, a Member ID and Password are assigned to you and can be used to gain access to googletreasurechest.com. The initial shipping and handling charge of three dollars and eighty eight cents, includes the Income Treasure Chest Kit as well
as seven days worth of access to the online directories and training. After seven days, if you choose not to cancel, you will be billed your first monthly membership fee of seventy two dollars and twenty one cents for the
membership fee for the googletreasurechest.com membership. Membership fees will be charged to the
credit card used by you to complete the transaction. In the Federal Trade Commission cracked down on negative option abuses, suing nine companies for charging customers credit cards for products or services without
gaining their express approval.
The FTC found the companies, as part of a transaction with consumers, offered "free offers" or "trial
offers" of other products and services, without disclosing that consumers would be billed for
additional products or services unless they exercised the negative option.
"Negative option marketing is particularly troubling when marketers already have consumers' credit card or billing account information and can easily charge consumers'
accounts without their permission or when marketers fail to disclose that consumers' credit card numbers
will be transferred to another company and charged unless consumers call to cancel, " the FTC s Elaine
Kolish told Congress in November. The law requires that consumers give an informed consent before a negative option purchase can be considered legitimate. Yet the overwhelming majority of complaints received at ConsumerAffairs.com are from consumers who have no idea why they are being charged for a particular service. Under the law, the burden of proof is on the marketer, not the consumer.
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