Is the Site Where you Sign Up for Sports Events Scamming You?

I just never expected that signing up my son for Little League would take me to a scam site, but it did. Then a student told the class how she had run into the same problem when she tried to sign up for a running event. Action.com gets non-profit events to use their system for registration and then scams the registrants with a Negative Option product purchase.

A negative option purchase is most easily done through websites because the site will charge your credit card unless you specifically ask NOT to purchase the product by unchecking a box or clicking a very small button indicating that you don't want the product. That is how Active.com works.

I'm sure that the fine organizations, such as Little League or your local race to raise funds for some worthy cause, don't realize that they are participating in a scam. Active.com just sells them on their great online registration deal. However, the people, trusting their local sports organization, get suckered into buying something they hadn't intended. Active.com uses the people's trust of their local organization against them.

After the registration is complete, you are offered some deal that appears to be part of the registration. (See screenshot below.) If you don't "opt out," your credit card is charged - after the trial period. The interesting thing is that, since they already have your credit card number from the registration, you don't feel like you are buying anything. And, the charge doesn't come in the same credit card statement because of the trial period. That means that you probably won't catch it because the charge looks like your registration and is about the same price! Unless you look at both month's bills, you won't see that you were charged twice.

Full Size Screenshot of an Active.com Registration with a Negative Option - you may have to clickto enlarge the image, if it shows very small.

Articles about Negative Option Scams

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/negative_option.html

http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/consumer-reporter/the-ftc-says-no-to-a-negative-option-fraud/462/

Related Topics and Resources

1. go.google.com Browser Hijack
2. Wikipedia topic: Trojan Horse
3. How to Recognize a Trojan Horse on your Website
4. Verizon Wireless Trojan Horse
5. Domain Name Scam from China
6. Sports Event Registration Scam
7. Are Those Tweeter Ads for Real?