It looks quite straightforward – the advert says you pay just $5 for cosmetic samples that are supposedly worth a great deal more.

So, people order the samples and pay the $5 by credit card.

Then comes the bombshell – 2 weeks later your credit card  is charged for $161.35 and $154.23

Unknowingly, you’ve signed up to buy their products every month.

These figures are for Face Replen Image Revive anti-aging products, but this technique is used by other companies as well.

Lucy was caught out by this and was understandably angry as she hadn’t agreed to any such charges. On contacting the company about this – their reply stated that as she hadn’t returned the samples unused she must pay the real cost.

Lucy’s situation is difficult as the company does warn in very tiny letters that you are charged after 14 days.

To make matters worse, the company continues to take money each month until you cancel and it is basically impossible to get that money back.

Be very careful on any supposedly “free” offers that you take up. Once companies have got your credit card details – some are not concerned whether you intended to sign up to keep paying them every month.

If you check the Internet for information of whether Face Replen is a scam, the result is interesting as Face Replen has clearly created a number of posts on various sites asking that question but then simply putting their advertising material in as the post. This is to make it more difficult for people to find true  information about Face Replen and how they operate.

It appears that the company base for face Replen is called Digby Investments located in Ireland. Whether that’s just a shell company or the real thing is unknown.

This kind of trick is called the subscription trap and Chancellor Phillip Hammond has plans to stop this scam.

Be careful what you sign up for and always read the very small print.

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