Cyber Monday 2009 Deals: Senators warn of scams

There are two big shopping days in the month of November, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The former is the start of the holiday shopping season, while the latter is the start of the Internet shopping season. However, the Senate committee has warned that there are three websites that have been set up to scam us.

According to sources, the Senate states that these online companies try to trick customers into signing up to a subscription service, something that we do not need. The three companies are, Affinion, Vertrue and Webloyalt all three are using strong sales tactics to scam shoppers.

These companies have entered into agreements with other Internet shopping sites, the ones who sell movie tickets and other popular items. When a customers is about to get to the end of their transaction, they are then promised a reward, such as a $10 cashback. This is confusing, as it looks like part of the original transaction.

The shopper will then click yes if they wish to receive their reward, this is when the shopper enters into an agreement with a membership club operated by one of the above three companies. This is when your credit card details gets pasted on to these membership clubs.

According to AP, the three companies, Affinion, Vertrue and Webloyalt have issued a statement disclosure saying that extra safeguards have been put in place, such as clearer disclosure statements.