freecreditreport/cic credit monitoring 'scam' question

hdeck

Lifer
Sep 26, 2002
14,530
1
0
did a search, so if this has been posted before, please point me in that direction...

anyway, i checked my online cc statement today and noticed 3 charges. 1 on 1/24 for $12.95 by "cic triple advantage" and 2 on 2/14 -- $9.95 by "cic credit monitoring" and $12.95 by "cic triple advantage."

apparently i signed up for this/these when i was looking into my credit report earlier this year. can't find any e-mail confirmation, but that's beside the point. anyway, i did some googling and found numerous people having issues canceling their "accounts" and/or getting refunds. some even said they were charged an additional $80 upon canceling.

to my point, anyone here had this unfortunate experience/know someone who went through this. i'd appreciate any help finding the fastest/easiest way to stop them from charging me every month (the right phone # to call, etc). also, are cic triple advantage & cic credit monitoring 2 different companies? i have no idea how that happened.
 

BKLounger

Golden Member
Mar 29, 2006
1,098
0
0
I am actually in the same boat. I signed up for i think true credit about 8 months ago and i am using a credit card to pay for it, but I am about to cancel it because I am getting rid of the credit card. I just don't want to get hit with some charge on the credit card after it is cancelled and then have a collection agency after me.
 

hdeck

Lifer
Sep 26, 2002
14,530
1
0
yeah, if only i had done my research before hand. now there is just the matter of canceling, because a lot of people have said their cards continued to be charged after they canceled their accounts (whether it was before the 30day trial period or not).
 

BKLounger

Golden Member
Mar 29, 2006
1,098
0
0
anybody know if i cancel my credit card and they try charging it again and it bounces back to them. What repercussions can come from it?
 

hdeck

Lifer
Sep 26, 2002
14,530
1
0
Originally posted by: BKLounger
anybody know if i cancel my credit card and they try charging it again and it bounces back to them. What repercussions can come from it?

while googling someone suggest that reporting his card lost/stolen to get a new # solved his problem, but i dunno how legit that is.
 

Double Trouble

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,270
103
106
Ok, so you got scammed by that outfit, sorry to hear that. Let that be a warning to others, freecreditreport.com is not free at all, it's a scam.

Now, you just call them or write them a certified letter telling them you want to cancel your 'subscription'. Then you keep an eye on your credit card. If more charges appear, contact your credit card company explain that you cancelled, and tell them you are disputing the charges. Done.

Depending on how ticked you are about getting scammed, you might also want to contact your state Attorney General (AG) and file a complaint. When they get a lot of complaints about a particular outfit, they'll take action.
 

hdeck

Lifer
Sep 26, 2002
14,530
1
0
i followed some of the various advice found on the net. seems like the key step is to *not* call the number associated with "cic triple advantage" or "cic credit monitoring" -- it's when you call either of these numbers that things get hairy. i called the freecreditreport 800# and after talking to 2 different people they assured me that my card would "never be charged again" after hassling me for half an hour about alternate membership plans, etc.

hopefully my card doesn't get charged anymore, but if it does i will definitely be disputing charges &reporting my cc as stolen to permanently prevent them from charging me. i will take the ~$35 hit to my cc as a lesson to not fall for crap like this on the net.