Here is the first part of a new series I’m calling 10 Ways to Spot an Internet Scam. We’ve been getting a metric ton of traffic coming from the search engines as people search for things like “Google Kits scam” and “Earn Google Cash Scam” looking for our article on Google Money Tree, Google Cash, and Google Kits – Facebook Part Time Job Scams.
These ads keep popping up and the sites and names keep changing to stay one step ahead of being exposed. Today it’s a blog called justinsmoneystory.com and a fake guy named Justin Crawford on the site. Tomorrow it will be someone different and a different URL too.
Some of it is from people who have been scammed already, but mostly from people who sense that what is being offered is just too good to be true.
That should be Internet Scam tipoff #1. It’s TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. Millions of dollars! Yours for the taking! Only $1 for a FREE KIT to quit your job!
Nothing in life is free, and if a deal appears to be too good to be true, it is too good to be true. Note that I didn’t say, it *might* be too good to be true. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule unfortunately. At least I’ve certainly never found one.
In this case, that $1 comes with the following Fine Print:
After your 7-day trial period it’s just $29.95 per month for Earn Google Cash. Remember, you can chat with live operator by calling (866)341-7163 within the first 7 days to cancel, and you will not be charged. To ensure continuous service, at the end of your trial period your membership will be automatically charged each month at the then-current membership fee on or about that same date to the credit card you provide today. If for any reason you are dissatisfied, chat with a live operator, and you’ll no longer be charged. You have also unlocked a fourteen-day trial and twenty one-day trial to the Fraud Protection Resource Center and Identity Theft Protection for just $4.95 and $9.95 a month thereafter (shows as “FraudProtection” and “IdentitySecurity”) should you choose not to cancel. Prior charges for bonus are non-refundable and a monthly $1 transaction fee applies to each but subscription can be cancelled and future charges stopped at any time by calling toll-free 1-866-387-2521 and 1-866-342-2994.
That’s three different “programs” you just paid $1 for. After 7 days, they hit you for $30. 7 days later, $10. 7 days later $5. Plus $1 each in “Transaction Fees” Rinse, lather, repeat. That’s $49 a month from three different programs with three different cancellation phone numbers. All for an eBook on how to use Google Adwords to make money that really costs $67 ONCE.
Why do the charges step down every 7 days? They’re hoping that at a certain level, you’ll either not notice or not care enough. For most people, getting a $4.95 recurring charge on their credit card isn’t worth spending three hours on the phone trying to convince a professional Internet Huckster to cancel the charges and they’re counting on that. Get a couple thousand people to fall for it and not bother to cancel and that’s a pretty big chunk of change for the operator of this “business opportunity”.
Remember, NEVER give your credit card number out for anything without reading the fine print about reoccurring charges.
In this case, you’ll never see that first $45 again or the second $45, even if you dispute the charges with the Credit Card company. These Earn Google Cash scammers have upheld the current law in disclosing the “terms” of the offer very close to where you put in your credit card number and providing a working phone number with which to cancel and by stating there are no refunds after the monthly charge date. Your credit card company is going to side with them unfortunately.
What do you get for $45 a month? Besides getting your mailing address, phone number, and email address on the list of every Internet scam artist out there, you’ll get a legitimate Clickbank eBook about how to earn money placing Ads on Google.
You can buy the real Google Cash program for $67 ONCE with NO recurring fees or cancellation hassles from the real Google Cash site.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks, I’ve just seen this ad and was writing a post about it; I’ll link to this post (the name on mine was Amy, a stay at home mum who made $5000 a month online).
i don’t think any of the stay at home online things are true, unless you have your own product your going to sell online.(maybe)!!!
If there’s really a REAL one out there i’d like to see it. haha!
I just got this Earn Google cash cancelled. It was a total scam,i thought i could trust it because of the “Google” name. But i was wrong.
Great article! These guys are fooling people with their eloborate terms and conditons and it is becoming a huge problem. Whatever you do, DO NOT give a penny to someone promising to make you money with google not even for shipping.
to learn more and watch videos that expose the google cash scam visit
google-cash-scam.com
I’m so glad I’ve researched this before taking any action. I have just recently come across this too in Melbourne Australia. Her name was Grace Kelly!
I’ve never really liked using my credit card for ‘unknown’ purchases on the internet. I even us PayPal for buying things on Ebay.
It’s amazing how many people will do this blindly because everyone is hurting financially and wants a quick fix.
Thanks
Jeez, even your own link to the “real” Google cash site is nothing but your own money-grabbing effort!!
GJS,
I see you didn’t use any real email, name or URL information at all in your comment, are you perhaps running one of these scam sites and come to complain that it’s harder to trick people now?
Chris Carpenters Google Cash (now version 3.0) has been around for over 5 years now, He was the one of the first people to use this method of advertising affiliate programs on Google Adwords to make money on the internet. I did not write it, but I did buy it at a discount last year with a single payment, it’s not a scam negative option that has hidden monthly charges. I have read it, learned a lot from it and made money from it, far more than I paid for it.
Yes, real courses to learn real information about making money online typically cost money. In this case I did my research, knew what I was paying for and exactly how much I was paying.