Protect Yourself  

I watched a news story the other day about people who've called in on those ads that say you only have to pay the postage to get the item. They entered their credit card or bank info for the item and in some cases got the item but were charged for much more than postage. One guy ordered the 30 day supply of Cigarest and was sent a 90 day supply and charged for the 90 day regular rate.

One woman participated in something that was supposed to help her save money on something regarding her home, I believe, but they started charging her $159+ per month on an automated charge and her bank wouldn't stop the payments so she finally had to close her bank account to stop the charges.

Not all of these companies are scams but I would like to suggest a way to avoid these types of things from happening. If you want to order something, don't put it on your bank account or regular credit card. Go to the grocery store and get one of those Visa/Mastercard or American Express gift cards and use that to order the item. That way, if they try to charge you again, they won't be able to do so.

If the item you want is over $100, get one of the refillable cards. It takes about a week to come in, which means you may have lost interest in whatever it is enough not to bother or you can load just enough to cover the cost of the item. Again, as long as you don't put more money on the card, they won't be able to charge you any more.

Just don't use something that can cost you long term. And, be aware that most of these companies charge a $1 or more activation fee to make sure the credit card is valid and the reloadable gift cards charge a $1 per charge fee unless you pay a $9.95 a month fee. Make sure to read all the fine print so you don't end up the loser.

I hope this helps someone.