joubess
27-07-2007 11:38:02
Warning Sterling Visa free offer is a scam. So are all offers from EDP Cards, edpreporting, and edpreporting.com.
Check offers out on badbusinessbureau.com before doing them.
I did the Sterling Visa offer on one of the IFW sites. It claimed to be free. I went through the application, gave them a lot of personal information and never saw a note or anything about an application and processing fee. I didn't read the terms and conditions because that's usually just a bunch of legalese. Nor could I find the link to the terms and conditions later very easily when I went looking for it. It was in the tiny, faint print on the first page of the application.
As soon as I electronically submitted the application they debited $159.95 from my checking account. They used my personal information to get my other bank account information and debited another checking account another $159.95. I've never received a card either, and it's been 2 weeks.
My banks returned the debits unpaid because I caught them quickly.
Be warned not to give bank account and other personal information out online. Don't apply for credit or debit cards in these offers unless you check them out first. Go to badbusinessbureau.com and search the company you plan to apply with. I did that after I was already scammed and there were hundreds of complaints against this company.
I recommend using a single CREDIT card for all transactions you do so you can easily track what you're spending. I say credit card because you have more protection and dispute rights than when you use a debit card.
I was reminded of that when I went to resolve one of the above thefts with Capital One bank. They returned the fraudulant debit unpaid, but it caused my checking account to be overdrawn, and they refused to refund the overdraft charges that occurred after the fraudulant charge hit. I ended up losing $64 to my own bank over this theft. Their policy is that since they didn't pay the fraudulant charge they couldn't be sure I wasn't purposefully overdrawing the account. They refunded the one overdraft charge from the fraudulant debit, but not the others. My next order of business is to write a letter of complaint to Capital One bank. I closed my accounts with them. I have primary accounts elsewhere at my credit union.
Be careful out there!!!