Intelius review: scam and fraud 49

At first I thought "how ironic, a security type company linked to afraudent charge scam" but now after looking at the complaints from the AP9 24ProtectPlus company they are linked to I know that this is dirty, slimy, and CRIMINAL.

I purchased a one time person search from Intellius and now have been billed by AP9 24ProtectPlus in the amount of 14.95 per month for the last five months.

This company clearly does not want to be reached. Bought their services for a "one time Only" criminal background check. Finally had to cancel my bank card and pt charges in dispute as they contined to bill me $19.95 after repeated efforts by phone-which they seldom answer- and Email-goiod lck if yo can get them to stop billing. Do not employ heir services or yo willregret it-Linda McKinnon

I too got defrauded by Intelius. I used their information services for a long period of time and as I was checking my credit card statement I noticed some unusual charges from companies I did not recognize. After a morning on the telephone to those companies I found that they were Intellius companies with revolving charges to my credit card. These companies were: 24ProtectPlus; PMIdentity; PrivacyMatter; and Valuemax. Again, be VERY careful if you use this company for ANY information.

Again, see http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/29/naveen-jains-intelius-prepares-to-go-public-how-much-of-their-revenue-is-a-scam/

These guys are theifs! Stay away

Never use Intellius. I did and found that I was being billed $19.95 a month, on the credit card I had given Intellius, for a non-service from a company called PMIdentity I finally got the charges off my bill, but how many pay without noticing this charge ?

my name is edith m jackson i was charged 19.95 for a scription i did not order refund my credit card back please . thanks !

i would like my refund for this rightnow to straightend out my checking account and also want to cancel

when will i get my answer and where

I too paid $4.95 for a telephone number search. The following week I was billed $19.95 for a subsciption to their services. I have sent them an email (phone was on hold forever) requesting a refund and visited them with a "shame on you" when your business is to protect consumers.

They show details available and will be shown with payment. After payment (actually) additional $5 with no explanation - they gave the name and basic home infor which was the same for everyone on the list. I already had both names for the address. They then show that more info is available for $44 more. What a rip off - do not use this service.

I too have been charged 19.95 per month for allowing a .99 search on Intellius so that my grandson might try to find his biological father's phone number. During that quick transaction (we never found the phone number) we made no agreement to sign up for "protection services" for $19.95 per month, but this has been charged on my credit card ever since. When I called the phone number that appeared on one of the credit card charges, I was put on hold for extensive periods until I nearly gave up. Finally, I got through to someone whose only response was that it was my responsibility to check my credit card for any fraudulent charges and to contact my bank. After a 20 minute discussion, the phone operator hung up on me. How can these people get away with this with no prosecution?

In June I contacted Intellius for a one time background check, they have been billing me an additional 19.95 per month. They indicated that I had signed up for a monthly subscription and have fraudulantly charged my credit card for 6 months. Can't get them to stop. My credit card company will no longer honor their billing charges.

I posted several days ago that Intellius had been charging me for a "membership" which I did not purchase or agree to. I emailed their customer service with a demand for a refund. Fair's fair so I think it's necessary to post that Intellius responded in 2 business days that they were refunding the money and canceling the membership, which is exactly what I requested.

I just received my Capital One credit card statement for period Oct 25 to Nov 24, 2008. There is a charge on Nov 4 for "Intellius Subscription [protected] WA" of $19.95 which I did not request or order or agree to. Tell me how to get this off of my credit card, and whether I should close this credit card immediately?
Martha Lyons

They charged me $19.95 for some kind of Identity Protection, I don't have credit cards just my Visa debit I don't NEED or want this, I authorized one service for a flat $5.95 fee ONLY. I contacted them demanding my money back, that they are being reported to the BBB and Attorney General. I hope they go bankrupt!

Intellius charged $19.95 to my credit card for a subscription that I do not want nor did I ask for it.

Money has been taken from my bank account in the amount of $19.95 and I was charged $43.95 because of this. I am furious because I have to pay for money that was not in the account at the time. My money needs to be put back into my account because I did not give permission for it to be removed. This is not the right way to do business.

I just ordered a phone number and about a week later i was subscribed to some identity theft thing for 19.95 per month. I did want to subscribe to this. Nor do I even remember being shown that i was subscribed to this. i did contact the company and cancel it out. However I do think this is a scam.

Everyone who is scammed by this business needs to file a complaint with the FBI. It is interstate banking, thus falls under federal jurisdiction. They also gave my card number to a third party that we charging me. The link to file a complaint is:
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
Don't be shy... this company is scamming untold thousands of people who are not looking closely at their accounts.
Michael A.

This is all linked to the fraudulent company ADAPTIVE MARKETING that runs hundreds of different opt in scams. Privacy Matters and At Home Rewards are two of the companies that will charge your credit card without your consent. Don't forget to tell them to remove you from their database or they will sell your information. Crooks! I had to cancel my credit card after they signed me up for services I never signed up for. Here is a list of Adaptive Marketing's scam sites:

24assistance.com
24protect.com
24protectplus.com
24protectplus123.com
aaagiftcardcenter.com
adaptivemarketing.com
ahorrossaludables.com
aigedgebenefits.com
aluemax123.com
athome-rewards.com
athomeplus.ca
avantagevoyages.ca
bbsavingsclub.com
bizmaxxgold.com
businessmax123.com
clubgalleria.ca
clubprem.com
clubrecompenses.com
connections123.com
credit-privacy-matters.com
creditadapter.com
creditadaptor.com
creditdiagnosis.com
creditpm.com
creditreportforyou.com
escapesenfamilia.com
essentials123.com
essentials123.com
essentialsgold.com
fasttracksavings.com
freegiftcardonus.com
freepharamcycard.com
freetriple1.com
freetriple10.com
freetriple11.com
freetriple12.com
freetriple2.com
freetriple3.com
freetriple4.com
freetriple5.com
freetriple6.com
freetriple7.com
freetriple8.com
freetriple9.com
freetriplescore10.com
freetriplescore11.com
freetriplescore12.com
freetriplescore14.com
freetriplescore15.com
freetriplescore16.com
freetriplescore17.com
freetriplescore18.com
freetriplescore2.com
freetriplescore20.com
freetriplescore21.com
freetriplescore22.com
freetriplescore23.com
freetriplescore24.com
freetriplescore25.com
freetriplescore26.com
freetriplescore27.com
freetriplescore28.com
freetriplescore29.com
freetriplescore3.com
freetriplescore30.com
freetriplescore31.com
freetriplescore32.com
freetriplescore34.com
freetriplescore35.com
freetriplescore36.com
freetriplescore37.com
freetriplescore38.com
freetriplescore39.com
freetriplescore4.com
freetriplescore40.com
freetriplescore41.com
freetriplescore42.com
freetriplescore43.com
freetriplescore44.com
freetriplescore45.com
freetriplescore46.com
freetriplescore47.com
freetriplescore48.com
freetriplescore49.com
freetriplescore5.com
freetriplescore50.com
freetriplescore6.com
freetriplescore8.com
freetriplescore9.com
galeriadecompras123.com
galleria123.ca
galleria123.com
gotravelsource.ca
highstreetmax.com
homesavingsmall.com
homeworks123.com
homeworksplus123.com
lifestylerewards.ca
lifestylerewardsplus.ca
mainstreetsavings123.com
myathome.ca
mydealmax.com
ncidentityprotect.com
passporttofun.com
passporttofunplus.com
passporttofunplus.com
pbbusinessmax.com
peoplefindersprivacymatters.com
pharmacygoldcard.com
premierhealth123.com
premierhealthplus123.com
primesplaisirs.ca
privacy.membershipme.com
privacymatters.com
privacymatters123.com
privacymattersidentity.com
privacyplus.com
privacyplus123.com
savingsmart.com
secure.dealpass.com
shopping-essentials.com
shopping-essentials.com
shoppingessentialsplus.com
simpleescapes123.com
simpleescapes123.com
simplyyou123.com
susaludplus.com
themarketplaza123.com
todaysescapes.com
todaysescapesplus.com
vedirecto.com
vertrue.com
victoriassecrethome.com
vistaprintpassport.com
vprewards.com
vprewards.com
vprewardsus.com
vsescapes.com
vssportandspa.com
yoursavingsclub.ca
yoursavingsclub.com

The following domains have been added since I wrote this post in September which means that the scam is alive and well.

athomerewardsplus.com
crosscountrysavings.com
foodandflix.com
galleriaplus.ca
idtheftplan.com
mycreditprivacy.com
mygreatdeals.com
myidentity.privacymatters.com
myprivacymatters.com
privacyplus.ca
savingsace.com
thebigdeal.com
valuemax123.com

Have a look at some of these domains and you will see they follow all the same basic format. A very simple site with some sort of vague offer or purpose that isn’t really explained unless you login. There are usually a few logos of trusted high street brands suggesting that the site has a legitimate business to business arrangement with that trusted brand. They are all linked to the same FRAUD! They steal money and I will make sure this criminal operation is shut down.

1) CrossCountrySavings, DealMax and SimplyYou are subsidiaries of "Adaptive Marketing LLC".
2) AtHomeRewards and YourSavingsClub are subsidiaries of "MemberWorks Canada".
3) Adaptive Marketing LLC and MemberWorks Canada are subsidiaries of "Vertrue Incorporated".
4) Each organization employs similarly evasive website formats and legal policies.

As these organizations apparently have access to my account information even when accounts are closed and numbers are changed, it is likely that the Vertrue business model is based on identity theft. Information for the organizations involved follows:

Vertrue Incorporated
www.vertrue.com
750 Washington Blvd
Stamford, CT 06901
[protected]

Adaptive Marketing LLC
www.adaptivemarketing.com
9500 W Dodge Road Omaha, NE 68114
[protected]

CrossCountrySavings
www.crosscountrysavings.com
P.O. Box 5152
Des Plaines, IL [protected]
[protected]
[protected]

DealMax
www.mydealmax.com
P.O. Box 5152
Des Plaines, IL [protected]
[protected]

SimplyYou
www.simplyyou123.com
P.O. Box 5152
Des Plaines, IL [protected]
[protected]

MemberWorks Canada:
www.memberworkscanada.ca
1801 McGill College Avenue, 8th Floor
Montreal, Qc, H3A 2N4
[protected].

AtHomeRewards
www.athome-rewards.com
P.O. Box 5152
Des Plaines, IL [protected]
[protected]
[protected]

YourSavingsClub
www.yoursavingsclub.ca
P.O. Box 5152
Des Plaines, IL [protected]
[protected]

Intellius also promised me a background check and after purchased all I was given was a name and phone number. Then the fee for the account showed up on my credit card, an account I never signed up for. You call them and get put on hold for 30-45 minutes at a time just for someone to tell you there is nothing they can do. They are a rip off and I feel they should be shut down.

I just got charged today for $19.95 for a subscription I never made! I just had one number looked up and got an email they will charge me. I capied to cancel and now I'm still charged! I'm afraid this will be a monthly thing ! Pls someone help us! This is Internet scam! This business gas no integrity !

I too was charged, unfortuneatly 3 times now, at 19.95 for both Intellius and Valuemax..it seem they work together. My bank is reversing, but make sure you tell bank to STOP PAY on FUTURE charges, because they still haven't stopped on mine. They are a scam for sure and I think I may go to Federal Trade Commission because this is just wrong.

I used Itellius for a one time charge of .95 cents. I marked the box for the one time use. On the SECOND page of the agreement if you do not opt out in seven days they will charge you 19.95 a month. I called customer service. The first person I talked to was unwilling to refund my 19.95. I asked to talk to a supervisor, I told them I would dispute the charge on my card, I told them I would blacklist them. I also told them I would get a new card with a new number. I told her their info was not accurate in any way. They refunded my money! Their info is only accurate if people fill out a new voter card, change of address, etc.

I DID GET SATISFACTION DON'T GIVE UP !

I tried this Intellius for a trial 48 cent test to find one phone number and ended up with 3 months worth of charges at $19.95 plus another company called Valu max also started charging the same $19.95 per month for 3 months. Be aware that they "may" be sharing your bank card info.
At least I have it stopped now by cancelling my bank account and notifing by banks fraud division.

I tried to recreate the problem on their site but could not. Where was the $.48 offer? What specific steps did you take? I am a class action junkie. My site is www.classadvocate.com. I know of no pending class actions that relate to Intellius or search companies, but yours does sound fishy. YOu can follow up with me by using the "Contact Us" tab at www.classadvocate.com if you so desire.

There are plenty of similar complaints against this company. I am not aware of any class actions currently underway, although here is a list of class actions against internet service companies. I hope it helps.

http://www.classadvocate.com/?direct=y&category=product&product_root%5B%5D=406

I will dig a little deeper and see if I can find a class action investigation against this company.

I have a similar experience, used the "one time" for $0.95 service; my card has been charged 19.95 per monthe since.

I requested a reverse phone number lookup and paid $0.99 and they automatically signed me up for ID Protect service. HOWEVER, I cancelled it 5 days later (within the trial period) but they still charged my card $19.95. I called their "Help" numbers but it said, they are "temporarily unable to answer any calls"! THis is so frustrating...Can anything be done to stop them from continuing this scam?

Same thing happened to me on July 17.

The website indicates $19.96 for a backround check. After charging my credit card they charged me $49.95 and then the following month $19.95 for a membership I didn't want. Calling their customer service is a nightmare.

I was charged for the 19.95 for looking up an old friend. I went to the site, logged in and saw no way to cancel not even an email address. So I changed my billing info to an old canceled credit card. And humoruosly I was emailed a nasty gram from Intellius saying my account will revert to basic unless I paid. Screw em!

I was also charged for this identity theft subscription. I called them and e-mailed them and told them to get it off of there and to credit my account. I need to check and see if they have done that. They said they would cancel it.

I have been trying to cancel service all week before I was charged. Cancel button does not work. I wake up saturday morning to see a pending charge. I can not call them to cancel but now I have been charged a service fee I wish to not use. I have canceled my card and now I still need to find out how to cancel this service.

W$19.99 a month. Called my bank to dispute then called Intellius direct and talked with a William. Listened to my request to cancel/refund then went to talk to a supervisor. He came back to say he cancelled it and I would get a 5-month refund. I was ready for a fight, but he acquiesced.

these people are scam artists, avoid at all costs

These guys are definitely in the business to see who they can trap. Of course that word "free" is the first bait. Once you get on their site very little is free, and if you're not careful they will rope you into something you never thought of or agreed to. At each they make the "No, thanks" so tiny you have to search for it. Also, even when you have an account with the the pay screen will pop up asking for more money. You have to look carefully to find and select "use one of my included searches." My best advice is just to stay away from.

This just happened to me. Luckily i caught it before i lost too much money. did the .95 cent search and then was charged 8.95 for whatever and then the 19.95 for something else thought i was done till i checked my bank account and low and behold ANOTHER 19.95 drafted out! I didn't have the time or patience to argue a refund so i chalked it up to a loss and am now going to closely monitor my account these next few weeks.Tricky tricky Intellius.

just made an order for 7$ and when i try to use the service online, the websight will go nowhere. cant get ahold by phone either. want to cancel order. how can i do this if i cant contact them?