'Trial offers' dupe Atlantic Canadians into paying for unwanted skin-care products

The Better Business Bureau is warning Atlantic Canadians aboutthe risks of online purchasesafter receiving a significantnumber of complaints from people who signed up for a "trialoffer" of skin care products and wound up withunwanted subscriptions that were difficult to cancel.

Some people have paid up to $800 before stopping the charges, while others had to cancel credit cards to halt payments, according to the advisory issued Wednesdayby the bureau's Atlantic branch.

The sales practices of these businesses appear to be quite misleading.- Peter Moorhouse, BBB Atlantic

"We encourage people to read the terms and conditions very carefully before agreeing to an online purchase, particularly one that asks for your credit card information," president and CEO Peter Moorhousesaid in a statement.

Extra fees or difficult cancellation procedures can be hidden in the fine print and pose a serious financial risk.

"The sales practices of these businesses appear to be quite misleading, and we don't want to see anyone agree to conditions they aren't aware of," said Moorhouse.

One person, for example,reported ordering "free samples" online.

"I did not expect, however, that a membership (which Ididn't sign or agree to) was effective with my order," the person toldBBB's Scam Tracker. "It cost me hundreds."

The BBB recommends monitoring credit card statements for any unwanted activity.

Consumers are also encouraged to call and report any suspicious activity to their local Better Business Bureauor to report it online through bbb.org/atlantic-provinces.