Intelius
Reviews and Complaints

I had the same experience with Intelius. I ran a simple white page lookup for an address, I was continuously re-directed Intelius until I became so frustrated that I paid 99 cents for the address. I just realized today that I have incurred 6 charges over the last 5 months of $19.95 per charge. These folks are ripoffs to the 1st degree. I am complaining to every agency that will listen to me as well as my credit card company.

I had the same problem. Ran a background check and paid for it. Then the AP9 Valuemax charges started showing up on the 28th of each month. In the beginning, I thought that I had made a charge and then just forgotten about it. Besides it was only 19.95. But the charge kept coming. I finally called Valuemax who said they would cancel the mebership. I said that I had not ordered the "membership". Valuemax said that I clicked on a link. Since Valuemax was making the charge, I asked that they supply documentation that I had placed an order for their services. Valuemax said they did not have it, call Intelius. But there is no way to contact Intelius. I called VISA to dispute the charges, but they will only go back 60 days. This is fraud, clear and simple. But most people do not persue it, just cancel, so Valuemax and Intelius keep the money the received before they got caught.

wow i have been trying to figure out these charges for several months now thank you for bringing this to everyones attention its sunday now but im going to call them tommorow and try to get my money back theyeve taken about 80$ from me now! I guess I was being a lazy bum for too long but the bank couldnt tell me anything about the charges

when you call AP9 Valuemax, this is what you have to say to get your money back, "I have never signed up for Valuemax, I don't know your company and I don't even know how you got my credit card information". And then Valuemax is going to say, "well, you signed up with Intellius" . You're going to say " I did sign up for Intelluis but I didnt sign up for your company."

I guarantee after you told them what I just said, they will give a refund. If not, one last option, call your card customer service to dispute the charges.

When you're on the internet, you gotta be careful. While Intelius offered a secure transaction, I still suspected them of something. You have to. People, Beware! Don't be stupid- investigate.

I went ahead and bought a reverse lookup from Intelius, and promptly asked them if there would be any recurring charges.

They told me they wouldn't charge me for anything else in the future.

BUT... they told me that they 'saw' something that might charge my debit card. Valu-Max.
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Intellius email:

Thank you for contacting Intelius customer support. Per your request we have cancelled your Identity Protect subscription. There will be no further charges. After reviewing your account we noticed an additional offer that was accepted through one of our affiliate sites, Valu-Max. For additional information or to cancel the accepted offer please call Valu-Max at [protected].
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***************
And they provided an 888 number, which I promptly called. Valu-Max cancelled my account, but you can be sure I'm going to get a new card number asap.

I sent the following to Intellius and the BBB:

**************
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To whom it may concern,

Your "Additional Offer" (valu-max) is not a clickable option with your service, and the Valu-Max service charges are not displayed prominently in your advertisement.
To avoid legal proceedings, please make the appropriate changes to your interface.
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I encourage everyone to be PROACTIVE in turning in these creeps. If we don't do it, no one else will. Get off your lazy bums and do something.

please send my money back...i do not know what is this for? Poul

what is this for? i wont my money back Poul Torp

I too have one and was very careful to select "NO" to all the offers. I am disputing the charges through Capital One as I looked up a phone number (reverse phone lookup) for about $5 ($4.95 or $5.95) and suddenly got it with a $19.95 charge each month and now have to dispute it. Sad thing is that even though I closed my account with Capital One and opened a new one, they migrate the charge to the new account. I hate to have to close my account entirely with the credit card company but it almost leaves me with no choice due to this fraud. You would think that a large corporate like Capital One would step up to people like this so A) they would be left holding the bad or wasting $ trying to defend us over a $20 charge and B) wouldn't want to lose decent customers over crap like this. Maybe because so many people don't pay attention to it and let it go they make money... oh well. Sorry, I am an informed consumer/credit card holder.

I too, just noticed a $19.95 Charge on my bank account that I did not authorize nor use this service. I did use intelius ONE time for a reverse phone number look up. It was on my account, I paid it, and that SHOULD HAVE been the end. Who and where can I put in a complaint on this charge? Can someone advise me please?

i dont remember doin anythin wit this stuff but it is on my bank statement.. So someone needs to get this straight and give me back my 19.95...

They are a bunch of crooks!

I just saw a charge on my bank for 19.95 that happened yesterday.
I only did a number lookup once last week and now I' being charged for subscription?
I just tried to call them and the voicemail said due to increment weathcer condiditon, our
customer server reps are unavailable to help me. Call back tomorrow.

What a scam.

I advice anyone not to use there service becuase once they have your credit card, they have it for life
unless you change it.

My account was just charged without authorization for $19.95.! This is crap!

Who do these people think they are ! I will sue the ### out of them.
This Is a complete scam and the internet provider is just as responsible for this !
YOU WIL PAY FOR YOUR INTERNET FRAUD!

I purchased one phone reverse lookup. They started charging me 19.95 every month for what I can tell is at least 6 months back. When I bought the one lookup there was no information that they would apply this monthly sneaky fee of 19.95. I cancelled the service using their links on my account page at the site. But I sure as hell don't trust it. I worry what other charges these @$$es will suddenly try to apply.

I CANCEL MY ACCOUNT IN FEBURARY, SO MY MOMEY NEEDS TO BE PUT BACK IN MY ACCOUNT TODAY, JOYCE JOHNSON I HAVE NO CODE

The charges for 10/11 and the charge for November where not authorized by me, please stop chargeing my credit card and credit me for the two charges that I did not approve,

Thank You
Thomas Cawlet

I've been charged for services I've not authorized. I've tried to call this people to stop this charges but nobody answered.

I do not know who authorized you to charged my acct, in the last 2 months there has been ove $300 .00in charges to my acct, ontop a subscription charge.I have tried calling you for the last 2 months to no avail, I want the money put back into my acct, I never signed up for this whatever service, you have overdrawn my acct over $150.00 because of these charges

First it was free- then $4.95 - Then they charged my debit $9.90 and still snly got old information! Immediately charged my account and just try and cancel service -- ha ha !

Unauthorized charging to my credit card. Never signed any agreement. When you try to cancel all you get is music and please wait for next representative. Was on line for over half hour no response. Instructed credit card company not to pay this charge or any future charges.

I went to the intelius web site to look up a cell phone number, it was called reverse phone look up. I had saw someone else us this service to look up a cell number. I used my credit card and was charged 5.99. However, I never got the phone number that I paid for. So I let it go, what's 5.99. But every month since that happened they have debited my account for $19.95. I am contacting my bank and the better business bureau to try to put a stp to this theft. So far they owe me over 45 dollars. I plan to recover every penny.

Around September 08 I went to intelius an on line site to look up an old friend. I had to open an account with them to do a search. While attempting to open an account there was some confusion it was not clear what to do. It was tricky and before I knew what had happened I had been tricked into an agreement of some kind of service where they watch my accounts. I do not and did not want this service and I bet that many people have made the same mistake that I made. Be careful if you do any business with these people.

My bank account has been charged. $19.95 A month since sept, 08 and I just found out today March 26 09.

The above mentioned company started billing me some months ago. I did not request their services as far as I can remember. I had a hacker destroy my email, but this billing was going on before this. I am completely confused and want this billing stopped. HELP!

Kathleen DeJohn

SCAM, SCAM, SCAM! Supposed to be a one-time charge to look up a phone number (which they could NOT provide) and signed me up for a monthly $19.95 "membership" fee, which I expressly did NOT accept. Called immediately when I got a vague email about "joining" to make sure what was going on. Yes, they had signed me up for a monthly membership. What a bunch of crooks. Do NOT use this company for anything - scam, crooks, thieves, rip-off artists, swindlers, pigs, frauds. Now I have to deal with my credit card company to make sure this charge does not go through. Pigs. Use at your own peril, .

Are you still being Billed? I have been dealing with these folks for almost a year. Take one service off and stop for a month then its back on again.
I am taking them to small claims court I later thought about joining a class action suit but they know the law and will get a STAY in court and by the time the Attoney's on a Class Action suit they will probably liquidate the funds. icjr52@gmail

NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH INTELIUS ! They run a dishonest and fraudulent business. Here's my experience as of January 2011.
1. First of all, they say that the information you're seeking is "AVAILABLE" just to get your credit card number and personal information. When you didn't find the information in the report, they say that "AVAILABLE" means they will search for the information and get back to you within 24-72 hours.
2. They website said they will charge your credit card 99 cents for the information you requested. In reality they charged $4.99. And they couldn't even provide the information requested.
3. Though I didn't subscribe for any monthly service (who would need such service on a regular basis?), they charged my credit card $19.95 and refused to refund the money when I called and talked to them.
4. I had to call AMEX and get this charge taken out of my credit card. My credit company said they had numerous complaints about the dishonest business practices of INTELIUS.
I'm thinking of alerting FBI fraudulent business investigation unit about this internet scam company.

They too tryed to charge a Walmart visa card that I had for my daughter to use, got lucky cause they couldn't get the charge, my daughter use it for her graduation and run it down to to $11.00 and the Intellius company was declined and sent me email to add funds in the account so the Intellius subscription could be up to date, go figure, my daughter did a .99 check on a phone # that kept bugging her and Intellius wanted to hook her up with a monthly charge as well, I canceled the card cause there like leeches, you can't get them off you. Had trouble with them a couple years ago (got me for 2 months) finally got them off the card with no pay back but noticed a few months later they started charging again, so if you get them to stop charging and don't cancel your card, keep an eye on it cause when your not looking they'll get you again without your permission, there theives man, leeches, sponges.
Larry

My name is Sydney Mitosinka. I was charged by Intelius for $19.95 a month for a subscription that I did not want. It has been taken out of my bank account now two months in a row without permission. I am very upset about this and I am going to contact the BBB to see if there could be some ramification for this. I have tried to contact Intelius by phone but only remained on hold for about thirty minutes without speaking to anyone. I expect them to discontinue this unauthorized use of my debit card and return the two payments they have deducted from my bank account.

on November8, 2008 you charged my American Expres cards an amount of $75.80 for a "subscribtion and membership fee" that was not called for and never authorized by me. Kindly issue a credit for this amount at once.
I am certain that this was an error on your partr.

Thank you, Lee P. Merel

I was also tricked by the Intellius Subscription service. I looked up one name for a 99c special deal, thought I read the fine print carefully to make sure I wasn't signing up for any additional charges, but then found monthly charges from Intellius for $19.95. Unfortunately, I didn't realize what it was until now, the day before the 3rd charge would have gone onto my credit card. My credit card company told me they could not dispute the charges because it was a recurring charge. The Intellius people cancelled my charge for tomorrow and told me that was all they could do. I asked to speak to a supervisor and the person came back on the phone and said their supervisor had cancelled the charge from a month ago. So I still paid the $19.95 charge from Sept 08, but got $40 dropped/stopped. My opinion? Intellius must make millions of dollars this way from unsuspecting people!

I was charged for subscribing to your company when I did not. My name is the only name on the bank account used and I did not sign up! Please return the $19.95 in my account and take me off your list. If ever my name appears again, it will not be me and don't put me on again.Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.

INTELIUS SUBSCRIPTION [protected] WA
Was on my account, I never subscribed to your serivce. Please reverse charges and remove me from your database. A dispute has been opened with my CC company.

This is the second unauthorized charge of $19.99 to my account in 2 months! How dI stop this!
Abel Diaz
adiaz956@hotmail.com

Were you able to get the refund? I'm going through that right now.

Yes, I just ran into the same problem. How did you resolve your dispute with them over this "subscription"?

File a complaint with the BBB, I got all my money back!

I was charged by Intelius 19.95 for 10 months which I NEVER authorized. I went to my bank to make out a fraud complaint against the company and found two other charges also 19.95 a month for 7 months by a company named Valuemax.I called Valuemax and they told me they got my card number from Intelius. Then the banker saw another charge by a company named Protectplus of 19.95 for 1 month. They told me Intelius gave them my numbers also.They said they would refund my full amount in 2 business days which they did. I also asked them to send me a confirmation email and they did. I tried to get Intelius on the phone. No answer.I made out a fraud complaint against them at my bank and I haven't heard from them or seen a penny of $200 they are trying to steal from me.So far it has been 4 days.I will post here to let you know when I suceed.So folks ALWAYS check your monthly bank statements.

I guess that I am in the same boat as you guys. I never order a subscription, but paid the cheap .90 for a lookup when there was discount. Now I have been entered into a 9.90 subscription for protection, a subscription for 19.95 for intellius look up and 19.95 for background check. I dont own a business and dont need to do background checks. I have had 2 pays of 19.95 taken out of my banking account within 8 days. I have gone to the site to cancel the membership but isnt even a link to cancel. No one answers the telephone or responds! The only thing I can do is close my account. Like some of you I am recently unemployed and these charges are killing my small savings.

This is confusing, are all the comments above directed to the company "Intelius" or "Intellius" It appears to me there are two different companies -- the one with the double L may be a scam using the similarity of name to the legit company to draw people in. Does anyone know for sure?

0 minutes ago by Anne Napier [send email]
I've been charged 6 amounts by Intellius on my Kroger Master Card without permission since June 2008. I keep complaining to my credit card company about this trying to get all these charges off my credit card. I lost my job 3 months ago and I cannot keep getting these charges. Plus finance charges. This is ridiculous. The amounts are $49.95 (july 1), $4.95 (July 1), $19.95 (July 8), $19.95 (August 8), $19.95 (September 8), and $19.95 (October 8) for a total of $134.70. This has got to stop. If these charges are not removed from my credit card account, I will be contacting the State Attorney General's Office. I have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have been undergoing treatment for 10 months.

0 minutes ago by Anne Napier [send email]
I've been charged 6 amounts by Intellius on my Kroger Master Card without permission since June 2008. I keep complaining to my credit card company about this trying to get all these charges off my credit card. I lost my job 3 months ago and I cannot keep getting these charges. Plus finance charges. This is ridiculous. The amounts are $49.95 (july 1), $4.95 (July 1), $19.95 (July 8), $19.95 (August 8), $19.95 (September 8), and $19.95 (October 8) for a total of $134.70. This has got to stop. If these charges are not removed from my credit card account, I will be contacting the State Attorney General's Office. I have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have been undergoing treatment for 10 months.

I've been charged 6 amounts by Intellius on my Kroger Master Card without permission since June 2008. I keep complaining to my credit card company about this trying to get all these charges off my credit card. I lost my job 3 months ago and I cannot keep getting these charges. Plus finance charges. This is ridiculous. The amounts are $49.95 (july 1), $4.95 (July 1), $19.95 (July 8), $19.95 (August 8), $19.95 (September 8), and $19.95 (October 8) for a total of $134.70. This has got to stop. If these charges are not removed from my credit card account, I will be contacting the State Attorney General's Office. I have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have been undergoing treatment for 10 months.