Stealing Personal Information?

[graciela224]

Well, for a few months now two magazines have been coming to our house: Harper's Bazaar and Seventeen. Both are addressed to my brother, but my brother definitely does not read them. I did not think much of it until I looked at my bills this morning and noticed that HB was billing me $22 and that I owed $29 to 17.
As a student that is not an insignificant hole in my pocket. How is it possible that these companies contracted my personal information?! The magazines have been coming for months but I have never paid for them before; I wonder, however, if I missed a fine-print deal on amazon.com or something?
Is this a common dilemma? :confused:

[Synamon]

If they are addressed to your brother isn't it possible he signed up for them somehow?

[graciela224]

If they are addressed to your brother isn't it possible he signed up for them somehow?

Well, I thought of that (and asked him), but he has never purchased anything online that (consequently) would have taken personal information - my personal banking information, nonetheless.

[HackerX]

Well, I thought of that (and asked him), but he has never purchased anything online that (consequently) would have taken personal information - my personal banking information, nonetheless.

People lie.

[LionsPride]

Are you sure that there was not a check box, somewhere on something you ordered, that was checked by default? Something like "yes, please send me 3 months subscription of X magazines and bill me for them if I do not cancel delivery before the end of three months"... It was a common scheme a while ago to send people free things under the premise if they didn't proactively cancel, that they would be billed. It seems odd though that it came in your brother's name. Perhaps you purchased something for him with the fine print said as above, only differing in that your brother would receive the magazines?

[graciela224]

Are you sure that there was not a check box, somewhere on something you ordered, that was checked by default? Something like "yes, please send me 3 months subscription of X magazines and bill me for them if I do not cancel delivery before the end of three months"... It was a common scheme a while ago to send people free things under the premise if they didn't proactively cancel, that they would be billed. It seems odd though that it came in your brother's name. Perhaps you purchased something for him with the fine print said as above, only differing in that your brother would receive the magazines?

Good point; this is a possibility - about this time last year I bought him a book for Xmas online.

Apparently it is also rumored that Amazon.com has been known to take customer information and sell it to companies for distribution. I'm almost 100% sure that I purchased the book from Amazon.

So from now on I'm going to be watching my back (well, reading the fine print)...and not buying anything from Amazon.com. Does anyone know of an alternative, trustworthy online shop site without scams?

[graciela224]

Well, I found out today that Synapse Group NewSub Magazine Services had made fraudulent transactions from my account. I filed a dispute and am hoping for a refund :S