Subscription scams

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.3 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2022

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From pills that resolve chronic pain issues overnight to diet supplements which promise to help shed pounds in days, the internet is awash with adverts making bold - and often outrageous - claims. Some come with a celebrity endorsement, where household names appear to give their personal stamp of approval to a product. But many of these ads are fake, with customers tricked into parting with more money than they ever intended. For Assignment, Athar Ahmad, investigates the global growth of online subscription scams, where customers are unwittingly signed up to schemes which hit them with hidden charges, unexpected monthly fees and products which are made deliberately difficult to cancel. He hears from victims with chronic illnesses desperately searching for a solution to their ailments, who are instead left out of pocket and he speaks to the celebrities furious their names are being used to endorse such products. The programme sheds light on the creation of this global multi-million pound industry, exposing the tools, tricks and technology designed to scam unwitting customers. And Athar travels to Spain in search of answers about one of these schemes, which has left many customers in the UK feeling they’ve been conned.

Reporter: Athar Ahmad Producer: Anna Meisel Editor: Carl Johnston

(Image: Using a digital tablet with a credit card. Credit: Natee Meepian)

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to assignment on the BBC World Service with me, a Therathmode.
0:05.0	I felt violated. I just don't know, they can live with themselves.
0:12.0	It's a scam which prays on the sick and the vulnerable.
0:15.0	Their bank accounts raided when they're at their lowest ev.
0:18.0	I hate people like that and there's no need for it. That's just greed.
0:22.0	Pure absolute greed.
0:25.0	The internet is a wash with pills and potions claiming they'll make us all thinner, younger, happier and healthier.
0:32.0	Sounds fantastic, but yep, there's a catch.
0:36.0	We had to make up our own reviews, customer reviews. They were hilarious.
0:40.0	What kind of things do you write?
0:41.0	All five star reviews, the products were amazing, we bought them and you know I feel great and yeah.
0:49.0	It's a global industry that's worth billions of pounds every year.
0:54.0	And there are hundreds of thousands of victims including here in the UK unwittingly charged for products again and again and again.
1:02.0	I felt that's a real world in panic and thought oh God, how do I know overnight more is not going to go ting, ting, ting, ting, ting, ting at my account.
1:10.0	And it's not just people like you and I getting scammed.
1:13.0	Celebrities are having their fame exploited to falsely sell products online.
1:18.0	We see BD gummy bears, they're not mine, I'm not making them any out of CBD gummy, I'm in recovery for dependency.
1:26.0	You see this brand here, that ain't me.
1:30.0	We try to unravel the schemes leaving a trail of victims in their wake.
1:34.0	Look at someone going inside. Is that him?
1:37.0	I think we should just go and knock.
1:39.0	Alright let me record it, let me take a microphone.
	...

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