You are buying a gift certificate online and when the transaction is almost done you are asked if you want to save $10 or $20 on that gift certificate. Naturally, you agree. Who wouldn’t?
You are invited to press “Continue” and after that you are required to write your e-mail address into a box. This step automatically signs you up for a membership for which you will be charged $10-$30 a month without you knowing it until one day you find it on your credit card statement and call your credit card provider.
After you figure who charged your account, you call the company and you are told, in a congratulatory tone, that you are a member of a privileged Discount Club. You might have saved $10 earlier, but you’ve paid it back – and then some.
How to avoid: don’t just press the “Agree to the rules and regulations” button without reading the details - always check carefully the fine print.