• Replies 11 replies
  • Subscribers 31 subscribers
  • Views 194 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Scam targeting autistic people to be aware of!

SalientBeing

Hello everyone,

I wanted to make everyone aware of a scam which I very nearly fell foul of today, had it not been for the vigilance of my bank!

Basically, I took the decision to do the AQ50 and RAADS tests; AQ50 was easily available for free. The RAADS one I ended up doing with a provider as a 'supposed' cost of £2 for the results. Took it on Saturday and got my score - was very high but that's another tale.

Anyway I was busy at work today when my mobile pinged, and I just managed to get a glance that it was a notification from my bank. Opened the notification and it was a Fraud Prevention Alert from my bank, where someone was trying to take £50 out of my account. The company attempting to take the money was called MentaLab - the very same company that had acted as paid-for middleman between me and the company offering the RAADS test (which I later found could be taken for free).

MentaLab are apparently scamming people by doing auto sign-up subscriptions known as Continuous Payment Authorities. When you pay for a purchase or a service, they don't tell you that they are going to set a CPA up. A CPA is like a Direct Debit, but it comes off a bank card instead of out of a bank account. That basically means that if you pay for something with a card, that's enough detail for a rogue company to set up a CPA with you, without asking your permission and this is exactly what MentaLab did with me.

I spoke with the bank on the phone and they said MentaLab had been added to the fraud protection filters in the last few weeks, as thousands of people were falling for the scam. Thinking they are paying for a £2 test, but then entering a £50 / month agreement without consenting to it. The call handler at the bank said she found it even more disgusting that this company is preying on the vulnerable people it's claiming to be helping.

So if you see any offers, tests, or anything else from MentaLab or Sitefusion Tech Ltd (the companies behind the scam), steer well clear for sake of preventing yourself messing about. I've had my debit card cancelled / destroyed, and I'm now waiting for a new one to be issued so that the company can't attempt further debits (they'll get a payment declined error from now on).

Parents

  • I think I saw these tests on this site but once I saw I have to pay for results, I closed it. I think it's also worth to be careful with sites that provide IQ tests and you also have to pay "just 1-2 £" to get the result. 

  • in reply to Alien0n3arth

    A lot give the test then you only discover at the end, or when they ping an email, that there's a charge for the results. To me, this is fraud - or ought to be considered fraud. The continuous payment thing ought to be changed to 'user decides' not the seller being able to set up recurring payments. I expect this happens a lot, for example on insurance or subscription sites.

Reply
  • in reply to Alien0n3arth

    A lot give the test then you only discover at the end, or when they ping an email, that there's a charge for the results. To me, this is fraud - or ought to be considered fraud. The continuous payment thing ought to be changed to 'user decides' not the seller being able to set up recurring payments. I expect this happens a lot, for example on insurance or subscription sites.

Children
  • in reply to Marianne72

    The issue is that the merchant can argue 'user decided' by hiding away the bits of the terms that say you're agreeing to sign up to something.

    What it should say is that you should have it splattered in your face, unavoidably noticeable, that you're signing up to something.

    The good thing in terms of consumer rights though, is that you have the right to get your bank to cancel the agreements with immediate effect on your behalf. That wouldn't help though if the fraud filter didn't catch it first and deny the payment (like mine did).