Scamscriptions!

Warning over rise in recurring payment traps

CONSUMERS have been warned over “scamscriptions” and recurring payment traps which can cost hundreds of pound a month.

They made up more than third of complaints to the scam sharer tool run by Which? in November – up from one in 10 in 2021.

Frauds include placing fake QR code stickers over genuine ones in car parks, shops, hotels and restaurants and sending fake surveys with QR codes in the post to trick people into paying for expensive subscriptions.

Another method is advert cloaking where dishonest websites camouflage their content to evade detection.

One on the Trainline app matched the brand colour of that app to dupe people trying to buy a train ticket.

Trainline has since blocked this advertiser. A third and common subscription trap is “free” product trials – often for nutrition and beauty products such as keto diet pills and CBD gummies.

People are led to believe they are authorising a one-off payment or covering postage – only to find they will be charged tens or even hundreds of pounds a month. Fees may be buried in the terms and conditions, although the worst offenders simply lie about their pricing.

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “Scamscriptions’ and payment traps are on the rise and consumers should be careful of any ads, free trial offers or texts that look suspicious.”

She added: “To stay up to date with the latest scams making the rounds, consumers can sign up to the Which? scam alert service and get advice about how to protect themselves at www.gov.uk/stopthinkfraud.

“The Government needs to ensure telecom providers and online platforms are verifying the legitimacy of their users to stop scammers.”

● If you think you have fallen victim to fraud call your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud.