would you consider this a scam?

**patches** · 04-19-2006, 04:06 AM

I signed up at a special interest site a little over a month ago. They have a forum for writers.

They have Private Messaging service associated with a bunch of writing contests and such.

I had posted a short story and somebody sent me a PM. In order to read the PM, I had to pay for the service.

It is something like $30 a yr or $3.97 a month or so.

They get you to agree that you are committed for a year if you sign up for the service.

I thought...well they are a Christian site so I should be able to trust them.

They billed the first time, no problem.

I went in to retrieve the private message and read it. It was a response, not to an article I had written for the contest but a question that I had posted on their forum.

I go to reply to the person and there is no reply button!

All there is, is a link to the person's email addy.

I click on it and low and behold, what comes up is a gray window for me to log into my hotmail account.

I thought, oh bother, and I signed up for this?

Then, I typed the reply and it wouldn't send unless I downloaded some software.

What has got me irked about this is that I'm paying to use my hotmail account????

And to top it off. They came back and said that my card was denied for the second payment for insufficient funds through a third party processor.
The third party processor sent the email and didn't designate who the charge was for or for how much. Which isn't normal for the third party processor.

I got an email back stating who it was for but not how much. But the email was sent by another party that is not even related to the third party processor or the web site offering the service or the person who owns the domain at that web addy!!!!

So my private info has been shared.

We went to the bank and according to the bank we still had more than enough money in the account.

So, I don't know what to think at this point.

Even the domain name registrar information seems out of whack. It leads to deadends that are not connected.

Either the person who owns the domain is processing their payments through somebody elses third party processor account or something else is going on and I didn't even think that was legal.

Steph

**Pepper** · 04-19-2006, 05:21 AM

Sounds fishy to me, but I really do not know. Hope you get everything worked out and crossing my fingers nothing *swallow* bad comes from it!!!

**Kimberlina** · 04-19-2006, 10:21 AM

I agree-

I think more investigation is in order. Good luck!

**canadian gardener** · 04-19-2006, 10:50 AM

sounds scammy to me. Back away, get out carefully, and stay away. Not everyone who calls themself "christian" is one, and not every website calling itself that is either. In fact as far as scams go, some people will use that to draw people in, relying on the trust factor.

I'm always twitchy when a person or business mentions their religious beliefs as part of why I should trust them in order to hire them, or join them, or give to them etc.

I prefer to check into their references, go to some accountability sites, check up on their history before trusting anyone who says they are Christian.

Takes time to figure out whether the walk matches the talk.

Mark Twain said a cute thing and it stuck as very true. He said "the more he mentioned his honour, the faster I counted my spoons!"

That was back in the day when you set the table with silver spoons and referring to the time honoured method of con artists to distract you with their honour or their religious fervour.

Call me an old prune, but I don't give my trust easily, but when I do, I really do.

**miss_thrifty** · 04-19-2006, 02:07 PM

I agree with the Canadian Gardener.

**joyb** · 04-19-2006, 06:21 PM

I would change the password to my email account and take whatever necessary steps to make sure no one could access my checking account. Even if these steps are not necessary, it would make me feel better. Hope it all works out for you. I have been taken in before and it has made me very cautious.

**marei** · 04-19-2006, 06:30 PM

I would certainly back away from this.

**FrugalMomof3** · 04-19-2006, 06:52 PM

to all the above!

**dolphin** · 04-20-2006, 01:23 AM

I think it sounds really fishy and I would get out of it asap! Good luck. Carolyn

p.s. the worst company I ever worked for claimed they were a Christain company but they sure didn't act like it.

**patches** · 04-21-2006, 04:23 AM

Okay, thanks guys/gals, LOL

I think I will go have my card number changed....just in case.

This has really got me irked. I did a google for the domain name and the word scam. The only thing that came up was somebody had their article published in one of their books without permission or payment.

Then, they found in very small print on an unrelated page that anything posted on the site gave them permission to publish it.

Steph

**Vannie** · 04-21-2006, 08:38 AM

Hi Steph,

Glad you are taking steps. It does sound like they are playing games with people. It's too bad that you have to have your card # changed. But better safe than sorry.

guest7 · 04-21-2006, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by miss_thrifty

I agree with the Canadian Gardener.

me too

**patches** · 04-22-2006, 02:55 AM

Well, I reckon that was unanimous! Glad to see everybody is in agreement, LOL!

I'm usually seen as being overly protective and not trusting unknowns so I thought I would run it by you all. I'm the conspiracy theory queen in these parts.

Glad to have the input and support ladies!

Steph