Victim Location 39525
Total money lost $184.95
Type of a scam Phishing
On July 24, 2017, I got an email from CVS where I do shop regularly but now that I look back the "from" is "CVS Thanks" and under other on my phone it lists "[email protected]". It doesn’t really look like anything else from CVS in my mail.
It started with Congrats! Get your CVS reward. It said: "You have been selected to participate in our member exclusive promotion worth up to $50 dollars at any of our CVS locations. All you have to do is take our quick member survey and you will be offered $50 in rewards. Click here to get started."
I answered a few questions and then I was offered to choose between three FREE gifts where all I had to do was pay for the $4.95 in shipping.
One of the gifts was this Pure Extract Garcinia Cambogia (60 capsules). I had heard of this product on TV ads and in magazines so I thought I’d give it a try. I gave them my credit card for the shipping. However what I didn’t realize is somewhere in all their long email agreement is some kind of membership where they would charge me $89.95 each month. Of course by the time I saw this bogus charge on my credit card, my window to return their product was closed (30 day window and I called on l think day 32). I said that I only wanted it if it was truly FREE like the advertisement said. Also, they told me that I couldn’t return anything that I had opened.
After quite a bit of back and forth on the phone, I did get them to "cancel my membership" and a refund of $44.98 but they told me that I had to drop it and not file a claim with BBB. So I’m thinking – well, they still got me because I have paid $44.97 and the product actually made me sick to my stomach. I would have been satisfied that they won. Two days after my phone call to this scam organization though I get round 2 of the product. So I did as the rep on the phone had told me to do. I didn’t open the package but took it directly to the post office to be returned to them. I was hoping this matter was done once and for all. But this month when I received my credit card statement, I had their $44.98 refund, but guess what – I had yet another $89.95 charge.
I called today to demand a full refund of that 2nd charge since I was no longer a member and I had returned their product unopened. Finally, after much disputing and excusing making, the rep told me that she would refund the full $89.95 charged in Sept. Then I get a confirmation email saying they were going to refund me $44.97. So I called them back again, got yet a 3rd person and I had to do even more arguing and threatening to turn them in to you, but finally she agreed to refund me $89.95. If indeed these two refunds promised today do occur, then I was only out $4.95 for the shipping, which is all I ever thought I was going to have to pay. Also, I bank with Bank of America for my credit card that was used. They recently changed my account number – saying there was possible fraudulent activity. I’m guessing they’ve seen charges from this business disputed before.
I have no idea what this organization is all about. But they are a total and complete scam and need to be shut down.
I cannot recall the other products that were in the original FREE CVS customer offer, but I think one had something to do with an expensive wrinkle cream. Obviously they play on people who think they are fat (like me) and old!