Haste + carelessness = potentially bad situation

[SuckerPunch]

Hey all,

I’m motivated to share this with you just as an example of how easily it can happen.

So I’m getting ready to do the US and remembered that I need to do an ESTA. Quick search on google, hit the link offered, enter my data, pay the fee . . . and then realize that it wasn’t the official US .gov website.

Well, shit.

Reply to the confirmation email with a “stop immediately, delete my data and refund my fee” request.
Call the credit card company, who tell me I can block the card for any future charges, but only the company can the transaction at this stage.

Okay. Block the card.

I may have lucked out here, and they may actually not be scammers since my fee has been fully refund and I received a well worded compliance email.

But I will be very vigilant now on.

Feeling like a dipshit, but hey, maybe someone else can learn from this.

[bware419ers]

This is a perfect example of why victim shaming does nothing but help the scammers. Anyone can fall for a scam.

[B8er]

I may have lucked out here, and they may actually not be scammers since my fee has been fully refund and I received a well worded compliance email.

These types of sites have been around for a while in the UK, targeting various Government functions, such as visas, driving licences, European health insurance cards. It's a gray area whether they are actually scams or not.

Some undoubtedly will be scammers just looking to harvest card details and steal payments, but others are more a shady business practice than a scam and are just charging people to do something they could do themselves for a lot less (they dress it up by claiming to offer a value added service). But they do usually provide the service they are offering.

[SuckerPunch]

This is a perfect example of why victim shaming does nothing but help the scammers. Anyone can fall for a scam.

[SuckerPunch]

Some undoubtedly will be scammers just looking to harvest card details and steal payments, but others are more a shady business practice than a scam and are just charging people to do something they could do themselves for a lot less (they dress it up by claiming to offer a value added service). But they do usually provide the service they are offering.

I think these guys are more the latter variant. At least I didn’t have a problem getting my money back.