Victim Location 16426
Type of a scam Other
Consumer received mail from a Unified Payment Processing LLC claiming that their subscription to Popular Mechanics was due and they needed account information for a $43.00 renewal. The consumer confirmed that their subscription was nowhere near expiration. They then contacted Popular Mechanics directly to see if this company was in anyway affiliated, to which they responded no.
Victim Location 98325
Total money lost $53
Type of a scam Fake Invoice/Supplier Bill
A company called *** *** *** processed a "draft" against my checking account for a magazine subscription to *** ***. Since I didn’t initiate this, I contacted the actual publisher and was provided a letter that stated they’ve been trying to shut down this fraudulent company for quite some time. The letter stated:
Dear ***,
Thank you for your interest in *** ***. I am writing regarding the order you received from *** *** *** ***. *** *** *** *** is not an authorized agent for *** ***. They are a fraudulent agency and we are currently trying to take legal action against them. Please disregard anything you may receive from them. Renewals and invoices from us will always have your account number and a RED *** *** logo, and the return address will be: *** *** ** *** *** *** ** *** If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call us at *** or contact us at the address above.
Best Regards,
***
Customer Service
As follow up, I contacted the company, *** *** *** and asked if they would reverse the charge. They said they needed to ask me several questions to resolve the issue, including the check number. They said they need to verify my identity and their systems were down. I asked when their systems might be back online, and they said later today. I then contacted my bank to reverse the charge and close the account.