The warning comes after the Citizens Advice consumer helpline received complaints from members of the public about misleading offers for the new phone.
One advert in particular targets UK consumers, leading them to a fake BBC News story announcing a “flash sale” on the new phone.
In reality, consumers trying to take up this offer would be entered into a prize draw with little chance of winning, and would end up unwittingly signing up to a recurring monthly payment of £74, because of stipulations buried in small print.
Subscription trap
The eCrime team have said this attempt to capitalise on the iPhone launch is a type of ‘subscription trap’, where consumers are enticed to make a small payment to access an offer before becoming trapped into making costly monthly payments which can be difficult to stop.
Subscription traps often misuse online advertising and continuous payment authorities (CPAs) to take money from people’s accounts without their informed consent.
Whilst the ‘iPhone for £1’ offer differs significantly from ‘free’ trial offers normally associated with subscription traps, the National Trading Standards eCrime Team is worried the timely offer will lure many technology enthusiasts into subscription schemes.
Always be suspicious
Mike Andrews, national coordinator for the National Trading Standards eCrime Team said: “We are worried that criminals are using social media advertising more and more, and the popular appeal of products such as iPhones and iPads could lure victims into subscription traps. We don’t want people swept up by the hype surrounding the launch of this new product to be caught out in in this way.
“Always be suspicious of any offer that looks extremely cheap, particularly if you see it in social media or in an advert online. And if you do get caught out by one of these offers, remember you have the right to cancel a continuous payment authority. You can do this by getting in touch with your bank or credit card company as soon as you can and asking them to cancel the payments immediately. Make sure you do it quickly, because you may not be able to recover payments made before you become aware of them.
“I would also urge people to report possible subscription traps to Citizens Advice via the consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06 – complaints from consumers are crucial in helping enforcement teams clamp down on the criminals behind these scams.”
For further information please visit National Trading Standards eCrime website.
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