Is this Survey Email a Scam??
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- čas přidán 12. 01. 2022
- A portion of this video is sponsored by NEXT insurance. Get a quote today! bit.ly/NEXT-GREEN
A lot of people are getting emails from companies like Costco and Best Buy that want them to take a survey. But who are these emails really from and what's the catch? In this video I'll go down the rabbit hole and show you what I learned!
I talk about Privacy.com in this video. They have a great service that lets you create one-time use cards where you can set the amount.
I also reference fakespot.com which is a plugin for your browser that rates customer reviews. I find it extremely helpful when shopping online. - Zábava
You neglected to mention the "countdown" timer that appears on screen, when selecting free gift. It is there to rush the victim, but when it reaches ZERO, it starts over again. All part of the scam.
Or the timer goes negative! LOL
Lol all digital marketers use this urgency technique to sell info products
@@Ban00 no actually anyone who uses a fake countdown timer is scamming. Even if everything else is legitimate. I would never purchase an item from a shop that uses a fake countdown timer for a sale. Any reputable source would not do it. They're not "digital marketers"
if you refresh the page the timer will restart.
Same as with airline tickets and hotel rooms. "Only 2 left at this price!". Yeah whatever!
The one thing about this channel is that you expose new scams QUICKLY and it is recognized and appreciated 😀
Thank you!
To be fair if you need a video to notice a scam you probably shouldn't be using a computer
@@rundata I agree. I am referring to the effort more so than the need.
@@rundata you do know not everyone is a computer addict like you?
@@MrSimplified 🤷
Thank you for this. I work in fraud prevention and there are SO many people that fall for these scams. Enough that its almost a standard question I ask.
They even say press #1 to cancel an order or they say it's a suspicious order n then ask for your information. I called n got the address on the Amazon account they used . It was in new York ...
those people are dumb dumb
I got an offer for a "free" laptop. I was curious about it, but thought it might be a scam. I have a phony name and address to send it to. Then I had to "qualify" by answering 3 survey questions. 10 questions later they informed me my free laptop had a 29.95 shipping charge and was I going to use a major credit card or my paypal account. That was when I closed the tab with the offer of a free laptop. It was an obvious scam.
Ok turns out you have to flip the watch around to charge it. It still sucks!
Can we still get a review? Curious if it’s touch screen or what it can do
@@Seth_Arvila He just gave the review......it sucks lol
Please stop with the extra advertising as people get enough from CZcams as it is.
It's crazy how you take the survey and nothing else is mentioned about the $100 gift card you were offered in the beginning, they just switch to offering you some cheap and poorly made "free gifts" that you actually have to pay for
@@Leo-Lion He's allowed to make more money lol
If it's shady and taking advantage of people, then it's scam. Great video! Keep up the good work.
Not really. Another example of shady behavior is pyramid scheme like Amway. It’s still legal unfortunately.
pleb
Agreed
@@vishalp5586 It may be legal, but it is still a scam. Yes, it is called something else, but I think we can all agree pyramid schemes are also scams.
@@vishalp5586 i call it a scam
It's absolutely a scam. Misrepresenting yourself, even if they give you something,.makes them scammers.
My general rule is: "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is." There's always a catch.
Most definitely a scam. This is a hidden subscription service. They're nearly impossible to get out of. Just because they offer you something in return is irrelevant. They deceived you into signing up for something you didnt know about.
The fact they have to pretend to be from Costco already reveals a hidden agenda. Scam scam scam
Definately illegal in oz.
I receive several suspect E-mails per day. I just delete them. I suggest that others do the same. Thanks Ben. You play a vital role in protecting others from scammers.
Elizabeth Grogan
I do the exact same thing, just delete them. Potential problem solved.
Good1
I'm surprised you even see them, gmail puts them directly in spam, all of them.
Also block the sender, that way if they send more, you shuld have no worries.
need to report, block , delete. finished
You plugged the watch into the USB upside down, it does actually work... my GF got hit with this and they tried to charge her 113.00$ - the bank didn't release the funds. I think we got lucky, because she only authorized 5.00$ which is about what the watch is worth.
I thought I tried that🤦🏻♂️ how did she like the watch?
@@PleasantGreen It’s crap, only tells time in military, claims to test blood pressure but I can’t see how that’s possibly accurate. It has some very clunky features on the app like activating your cell phone camera. It claims to monitor your sleep but doesn’t relay anything. Basically it’s a watch that confuses people who aren’t used to military time.
@@PleasantGreen Also I just found you recently, I do really enjoy your content. 👍
@@guarami1 good to know!
@@guarami1 What's "military time"?
That they are initially presenting themselves as Costco, and doing so for financial gain makes this a scam. Great video. Thanks for being so thorough, so we don't have to :)
you sir have some dedication to go down this kind of rabbit hole! haha i love man. Good thing you're using privacy, I can't imagine having my cards charged monthly for this junk
you sir have some dedication to go down this kind of rabbit hole! haha i love man. Good thing you're using privacy, I can't imagine having my cards charged monthly for this junk
Just once, I'd like someone to actually track down the people that run one of these operations and expose them for the scumbags that they are. Not the phone operators, who are probably doing it out of necessity, but the people at the top. And by "expose them", I mean something far worse.
i think jim browning has some of what you're looking for
Sadly, tracking tags are expensive to get, and the methods I can come up with to use the postal service break us laws
@@JamesTDG aren't they also breaking the law?
Jim Browning and Mark Rober have been working with law enforcement in tracking and arresting scammers. Fun videos!
@@BoiseFreerunner The people who actually run the scam operations are nearly always situated in Nigeria, India, or some other country where they are basically untouchable. Bringing arrests to the "foot soldiers" is commendable, but it's small potatoes. It's like arresting a drug dealer versus arresting the kingpin.
Reminds me of the 90s/early 00's when you'd see ads in magazines that would say 12.00 dollars for 12 CDS. They would be new albums but they'd hook you on the monthly subscription in the fine print.
True, but at least you will get legit CD's! And you can cancel!
My parents just last weekend fell for this exact scam (I'd say it is a scam for sure) and I had to break it to them, then sent them your video. Hopefully they'll be more careful in the future.
I work in the fraud department at a bank. This is such a common scam I see very frequently. The sad thing is it is hard to dispute. It's not considered fraud as you give them the information and agree to their terms of service. It's just really sad. As you can guess the majority of people who call about this are older.
In this example wouldn't them claiming to be someone they're not (Costco ) to gain your trust be fraud?
@@jcrowley1985 No Fraud is when someone else uses your card. Now this information is for debit cards and regulation E. If your giving card information out better off using a credit card. They have more fraud protection then a debit card does.
If you gave your card information out you were scammed. That is not the banks fault and they are not required to give you your money back essentially.
@@chuk4321 People don't like hearing this, but you're right. (People just like to shit on banks because bAnKeRs ArE eViL or something like that.) If someone willingly gave out their credit card or debit card information to a shady website, that's not the bank's fault. The bank can't be expected to reimburse customers for something that the bank isn't responsible for. People should take responsibility for their own actions and learn how to identify scams instead of demanding that other people fix their problems for them.
@@AidenRKrone Thats why ben is educating people. Duh.
This was one of the most common scams I dealt with at a credit card company, most of the calls I dealt with were people thinking they were getting iPhones and other devices just for the price of delivery, they would then be charged £50 monthly until it was flagged or they realised.
It's a scam. I dont think it's even legal to wrap someone into a term where you pay like that. Remember most terms and service aren't binding on websites like that. Click wrap agreements and just general agreements sitting there often fail on court. Which means they are probably out of the country.
Or gambling that most of the people they scam can't afford to take them to court over it. I've seen people challenge unexpected subscription fees as fraud on their credit cards and the credit card company investigates, gets shown in the ToS that the person "agreed" to it, and then puts the charge right back on the card again.
I wrote a comment about this sort of thing, tl;dr legal is what is enforced. You call the police about this? Most you'll get is a laugh in the face. They haven't investigated real crime in decades. Small claims court? Who are you sueing? LOL
But most people can’t afford the legal fees to contest it. That’s why most people just write it off to a hard lesson.
I received an email from my credit union requesting I fill out a survey. It sounded suspicious so I called the credit union and they confirmed it was a fake email. Don't be afraid to call the companies you do business with directly about suspicious emails. It might just save you some money and headaches down the road.
As a general rule, if you're offered something for free, but they need your credit card # for any reason (generally for shipping and handling or to prove you're over 18 are the excuses given), be very wary. I used to do customer service for a credit card company and people getting unexpected charges due to subscriptions they never knowingly signed up for was a very common problem. The worst part was when reported as fraud, they didn't always get their money back since the bank contacts the company, is given some sort of "proof" that it was authorized, and then puts the charge right back on the card again...and adding insult to injury, some of these companies were able to keep charging people's cards even after the card info had gotten changed due to the fraud report.
I've always been afraid to click on anything in those emails.
now you know!
Are you Bob Eubanks son?
Well rule number one on internet, Click on absolutely no link , And under no circumstances i click even from friends.
@@MyassesDragon I am not.
@@ACuteKitty fb accounts get hacked so much !! And Snapchat and Instagram has millions of fake accounts 😖
My spouse accidently fell for this, it was a text saying it was a "free" smartwatch from verizon. Same deal, pay for shipping. Got the same watch. Fortunately by that point we had cancelled her card so we didn't get dinged. BTW you had plugged in the watch backwards at least in your video. But you are not missing much. Crap quality, fake "heart rate" sensor that consists of two LEDs that magically pick up your O2 and heart rate even if its sitting on the desk.
I remember my dad taking this survey a few months ago. He took the survey and after your click next, it will ask some personal information and that is when he grew suspicious. I look at the email address and notice it wasn’t from Costco. Luckily he didn’t click submit and I think we didn’t get any personal information stolen.
I’m pretty sure that’s what they really want
I just love this channel. Always exposing stuff that I want to see uncovered. Thank you, Ben Dover!
I love how you’re very slick with these companies with the burner card. That is such a useful thing
I'd like to see you cover the scam ads that appear on and promoted by youtube. things like "how to get a free mini fridge" etc.
I’m glad someone is able to do the legwork. I hesitate all the time with any of these take a survey emails. If they are not in my spam folder they get sent there. Thank you for all your hard work
DUDE I FELL FOR THIS!! igot this same survey that looked sorta legit and so sneaky looked JUST LIKE THIS. i ended up paying 5.95 and 9.95 for shipping for 2 items. a flashlight and a friggin dash cam. they were zupposedly "gifts". anyways 2 weeks later i get charged like 109$ and 89$ for the 2 items. i called up the biz that charged my card and they say i signed up for a trial price. i immediately got and RMA # and mailed both items back. funny part is the items were so cheesy they were still on my counter i had no desire to use either
Can't wait to protect myself against those pesky scams!
New vid yay!
Great video ben keep up the great work. I love what you do. I started busting discord scammers. Be safe.
Great video! I have filled in a few of these surveys, but as soon as I get asked for money I close it down. Still, this is good stuff to know; there are many of us who might end up in these situations, including me; so many thanks! And I heartily agree with the comment below, that this channel is great for jumping on new scams as they appear. Thank you for all your good work.
Remember, READ each and everything in the terms and conditions (that is, if you can find them!)
Keep up the great work in exposing these scammers mate!
Hi Ben, LOL, Have to say I love your videos and the way you present them. Keep them coming. I have watched a lot of "Scam" videos and I like yours the best by far.
The world needs more people like you who exposes scam like this. Funny also how cops don't do anything to stops those scammer (especially when they operate in the USA). But don't you dare to forgot to report your last $10 sale to the IRS though, or you can go to jail. O_o
Ben
Thank you, as always, for the scam-busting episode! I always find these interesting…
Also, the watch does actually charge by plugging it directly into a USB plug-in. I’ve had watches like this, and I believe that you had the watch upside-down in the charging brick. I’m interested to know whether or not the watch is really worth much of anything. If you still have the watch (and if you see this comment) could you try and charge the watch by flipping it over in the charging brick and see if the watch works at all? I’m intrigued to know!
How does it turn on?
@@MWSfan18 it should turn itself on automatically when it gets plugged in
Looking for this comment, i agree, he put the watch in the charger, upside down.
Clearly a scam. Thanks for bringing it to your viewers attention. I have clicked on these types of ads on You Tube, one around Christmas that I kept seeing was for a "free" tactical backpack - just pay S/H. But a little bit of homework disabused me of that notion.
i have been seeing these for YEARS. THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THEM!!!! i have never understood what the point of these fake survey websites were but it makes total sense now
I have been getting emails like these but I have been marking and reporting them in as spam... Great video... Keep up the great job PG... Love what you do...
My email is constantly full of these emails. They come from everywhere, Amazon, Menards, Costco............
Gmail automatically marks them as spam, so I get them, but I never see them.
Scammers are really stupid nowadays, we need them this stupid.
Sadly, so are the marks.
Hey Pleasant Green. We quite enjoy your videos exposing scams and scammers. Keep them coming!
Thanks for all your excellent investigative work and providing this great service. Ironically, you’re in Utah which is a breeding ground for sketchy MLM’s and GRQ’s (get rich quick) schemes. Maybe it’s not ironic as living in Utah may have made you extra aware. I got scammed by a famous Utah company when I sold blenders in Costco for them. Here’s a suggestion: I think I’d be a good idea to highlight your Utah connection by saying… Utah is famous for volunteer missionaries and my mission is to help protect you and your family from all kinds of scams. We can all give back and make the world a better place so, this is what I do. Thanks for watching! >>Thanks again for doing this. I served in Belgium in 83-84. Lorne Holman in Calgary Alberta Canada 🇨🇦
I moved to ghana a few years ago, and I go to nigeria quite often. I ran into some scammers pretty quickly. I was amazed to see the other side of the scammer world. I would love to do some colaboration work with you and show what actually goes on at the other end
Thank you for this video. I personally never respond to online customer satisfaction surveys
Your videos are a great background for cleaning and other household things. Well made content and interesting topics. Thanks :)
hi Ben :-)
Since you asked about similar experiences, I have a story for you.
This happened many years ago. I ordered a Samsung galaxy watch from a ad that came while I was playing a game on my mobile. the Ad was impressive and the watch, that was portrayed, was really nice. The price was USD 49.00. I took a chance and ordered one. As you guessed, it WAS a knock off and did not even work properly. As I had paid via PayPal, I was granted a refund, so I did not lose any money.
Thank you for all that you do. regards and blessings. Andrew.
Those are chain emails that used to pay real money if you're able to complete the chain. The catch was you needed to "complete" offers just by clicking on links or opening new tabs with those links. That was ten years ago, now they're just a scam to get your information. The company that used to pay was overrun by scammers so it now pays in tokens for games.
Hello Ben, I really enjoy your videos! When you connected the watch to the usb wall charger try flipping it around the other way so the contacts touch the USB port. I’ve had these cheapo watches and they seem to be weird with the way that they charge. Great video!
You are absolutely great Sir for sharing this to public and it stopped early.
Scams like this have been going on for at least 5 years (how long ive been dealing with it in a csr role within a bank) if there is ever anything that says "just pay shipping" its this. Facebook was rampant with them for awhile. The worst part of it is when you file a clam there is nothing the bank can do because they have documentation saying you approved it so they cant get your money back.
Yey! Another video 😀 First time I've ever seen a video "Uploaded 8 seconds ago".. hah..
Yes! Great video Ben, perfect timing during my lunch break, keep up the great work!
Thanks for doing this one. I’ve always wondered what they got out of those surveys.
I love watching your vids
Keep up the work sir 💗
It would be interesting to give the watch to some tech person to open up and analyze. Maybe there's a secret message or some additional Terms & Conditions inside.
That is a perfect video! I get those emails almost daily and always delete them, but it is so great to find out what it really is!!!! Thank you!
Great video 👍🏻. I get emails, like this one, frequently. I don’t even bother checking their fake email addresses anymore. I just hit “ delete”. It was interesting to find out what would actually happen if someone fell for this scam. Thanks, Pleasant Green, for letting us know how these emails work.
I also encountered a different version of this type of scam.
I didn't fall for it, and when they asked me for personal details I just wrote all the curse words I could think of.
Imahotdog
👍🏽😂😂😂!
I instead got sneaky on mine, I'm known as Sugma Richards according to scammers
I got something like this before, I did a survey to get a free item. But, instead I got a catalog sent to me to get items at a good discount along with monthly fees, I told them I'm not interested. I had to call the 800# to cancel, a recording stated I needed to provide my social security number in order to cancel out. I just hung up the phone☎️🤬
Your videos are so enlightening and educational. I’m so glad I discovered you through Pierogi and the People’s Call Center collaboration.
I have gotten so many of these emails recently so this video was perfect timing. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.
I enjoy your videos dude! :)
Thank you so much, Br. Green, you saved me from a $580 scam :)
I used to work for a company that shipped out supplement products (not realizing it was a scam) until we started opening letters addressed to us asking us to stop charging their cards. We never did and just threw the letters out. I’m sure they were getting their customers this way. Eventually I quit but people were getting charged sometimes up to $100 per bottle of pills. There were at least 6 different brands, prices, ingredients list, labels, however all used the same generic white pill bottles and whatever pills were pre-sealed inside. There were thousands of orders each month. Doing major numbers. The owners had a private jet they used to land and fly out of the air park across the street from the shop.
I used to work in the fraud & disputes department of a major credit card company. 75% of my calls were from people who fell for these types of scams/trial offers/. We had to explain that technically they WERE liable, as they DID accept the offer (thus, accepting all terms & conditions) and giving out you card number freely and knowingly does NOT constitute “fraud”. And, we could NOT block merchants or We even had to explain that by cancelling the credit card number wouldn’t help, as because they accepted terms & conditions for monthly subscription, said merchant could continue to charge the account. But we helped them regardless. There was a great satisfaction when I could get the “customer support “ agent to provide a refund & cancellation number on the spot. At one time we could call said merchant and fight on the customer’s behalf). Other times we had to file a dispute and send a chargeback to the merchant. We had to be. careful & precise in our wording on the dispute form. Usually “knockoff” product or defective/poorly made goods, as well as stating the fact that the offer terms were often not easy for the customer to locate. Most times the chargeback worked, but still the “customer’s responsibility” to have the recurring charges/membership cancelled. Oh what fun. Most of these calls were from older folk and hence, easily duped. I could go on and on with my experiences working for this credit card company. Hope my post can help educate as your videos always do.
Just found your channel interesting I couldn't tell you how many scams I have received ..I'm watching your video and I'm from Ohio to find out that the zip code is exactly the small town I live it . Wow thank you for exposing these scams .
Thank you for looking into these survey emails. I have received so many from so many different businesses. I had followed through a couple of them but just up to the point where I had to choose something and pay for shipping. Deleting them became my next step after replying to a couple of them. I guess I made the right decision here and it is good to know that I am not missing out.
Could you do a video on the Publishers Clearing House scam. My great Uncle got his identity stolen by one just this week. I fear it's being done on a larger scale to elderly people as more people have gotten the same call. It appears very elaborate.
Late to this one PG but my mother fell for something similar here in the uk recently but I was fortunate enough to get most of the money back after providing a lot of evidence about who the company was and trying giving them details about their registered companies in the uk where they seemingly got scared. With this watch I had a similar Garmin watch and when charging it I had to have it the other way around. Not sure if you still have it but worth a shot. Love the videos
I have a watch like that one, you have to plug it into a computer USB to charge it. You then control it from your phone. It's real stupid. I got mine from Walmart for $20 just because I wanted something to track my steps without having to have my phone on me at all times.
Good job exposing another scam. I get surveys in my junk email all the time. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.
The watch must go other way around in de adapter :D
My dad told me he won an iPhone. Then he paid 7 dollars for the shipping. Told him it was a scam. Then he told me to won a 2nd one. I am sure he paid for that one also. Never heard anything else after that. Sure we will be calling his credit card company to report a scam. The internet is scary place if you don't think everything is a scam.
There's always a catch!
While I haven't gotten any emails like this, it doesn't hurt to be aware of what's out there. It also doesn't mean I won't get any in the future. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for posting, I really appreciate your style and content!
I never click any of that stuff. Sadly, I've learned to look at any contact with strangers, by suspecting I'm getting bullsh*ted, it's just a question of how much, and what are they after, until I find any reason to suspect otherwise.
I never bite on online offers. If I need something I go to a store and buy it. I rather pay 100 dollars at a store than online which might come to 90 dollars after shipping.
I have a scam for you! Someone has pretended to hire my mother in law and she was so excited for the job and it’s really a fake check scam. My mother in law feels defeated and crushed this was fake. She was told she could be sued for leaving the job without a 30 day notice. This scammer has wasted her time and emotional bandwidth. Where can I report the scam?
Hey, I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your mother in law. If it's not a legal work contract she has no reason to be afraid. You can try contacting the police to be sure, but I don't think there's much they can do due to how these scams operate. Good luck and stay safe
You should be able to find on Google a website where to report this scam in your country! Each country has its own ways of reporting..
New subscriber here! Thank you for the informative videos. You sir take scam-baiting to a whole other level!!
I love that you chase the rabbit so I don't try to. Thanks for the honest review.
Looks like you plugged in the watch upside down in the charger. Did you try it in the other rotation as well? Gold contacts should go against the plastic "flap" inside the charger
I swear I tried! Guess that’s why I’m not a tech review channel 😌
@@PleasantGreen did it turn on?
@@PleasantGreen Hehe! No worries, shit happens :) Thank you for always delivering enjoyable content. I'll allow this little slip up... ;) I'm always here or on twitter if you want to ask any tech stuff - I'll help if I can :)
It's also possible he got a dud. That has happened to me a few times with electronics.
Feels like a scam, sounds like a scam.
At the very least it's a bait and switch operation using deceptive marketing in the extreme.
More likely the "subscription service" you automatically get signed up for (is that even legal in the US? It isn't where I live) doesn't even exist and they just charge your card a small amount at semi-regular intervals using different names each time until you take notice (which for most people will take months if they ever notice because it gets overlooked in between all the other small charges) and never send you anything.
So well at discerning these shady things many people just forget about
I keep getting those for Ace Hardware. I wondered what the scam was! Thank you for this video.
My dads gotten this email multiple times it's very annoying.
How people are trying to scam others nowadays....ridiculous.
Hey Ben thanks for what you do! I like many other people get at least 5 or 6 every two days and they usually have tons of people in the Cc line . I know it's a scam and I block and I block, and they continue to send them.
I love watching commercials for fun. I do appreciate a lot of the tips like the fake spot plug in.
I'm writing this comment before I start watching I wonder what changes were made
Its 100% a scam. Sending out cheap junk in order to get people to sign up to an expensive subscription that is also worthless is a scam!
I’ve actually considered clicking on some of the sites but changed my mind last minute. Once again thank you for educating me on the fake sites.
I totally have not wanted to click on any of the 100 or so similar emails I've received like this. I was wondering what they were about but I was NOT about to click on one. Thank you, Pleasant Green for the info as I really wanted to know what the hussle was.
Such scams are disguisting.
I enjoy watching you go into the rabbit hole of shady websites
I’ve decided to do a marathon and it’s INSANE how much better your newer videos are (mostly due to them not being only 2 minutes long) but you hold true. Seeing you first realize the struggles in 3rd world countries is weirdly satisfying. Not because I have some racist tension but because WE ALL who live in America take for granted some simple thing like going to western union. We don’t realize the real trouble that 3rd world citizens have to go through just to receive $14. Don’t forget what you’ve learned Ben Dover (I know that’s not your name) continue to grow and as you grow, remember to inform your audience that these people are not scamming because they are desperately evil but because for them, it’s that or rob and steel in person or murder, or humbly eat mud pies. Remind your audience directly that we have it good. That we could find daily prepared food in almost every dumpster if it came down to it. That water is so free we flush it. Remind them like you reminded me. A black man in America.
Good points. Yet, many scammers in Africa, India, don't do it out of desperation, but because it's easy money, and they can live well.. Romance scammers, Tech support, etc etc. Who knows, maybe they started when desperate, but continued because money was good! They fail to look at the devastation they create, esp since some victims literally become homeless or commit suicide! It's daylight Robbery, actually, just by using other methods to deceive!
Thank you Ben! I got a lot so-called “free gift cards” in my email but I learned from your videos and I am not falling for it! 😅
You were correct on how to charge the watch just try to put the metal thingy in contact w the wall charger metal thingy
I have a few HUNDRED of these emails that I’ve just been looking at and assuming we’re a massive scheme, love to see exactly what each one is
Keep up the good work in exposing those scammers 👍🏻👌🏼
Yes very appreciated thank you pleasant green you help keep us informed and savvy thank you for your work and entertainment. Much love from Ohio.
Thank you for your upload sir, been waiting for it