XM Brands: Don't let this happen to you...

Things have been getting tighter around here. Recently, when I've applied for jobs I've gotten the distinct feeling that my age works against me more so than the partial disability. I thought about working from home but so many places you sign up for are nothing more than scams! Anyway, I was surfing around reading blogs and on one, I saw a reference to making money with google. Google's a respected company--not a scam, I thought.

I clicked on the link to read the article associated with it. It was about how stay-at-home moms making extra money by uploading ads for Google. There was yet another link going someplace that would explain how to get the software for training. I should have realized that the article itself was probably phony but all I thought was 'this is google'. I clicked on the second link and went to a website claiming to be Google Library. The software cost $1.97. That should have tipped me off too but I thought 'I can afford to lose $2 if it's just a scam' and so I clicked.

Bad move.

I've since learned (from my son) that when you're at a website like that, you can do a right click on the URL and then click properties to find out who the link *really* belongs to. TB said before he gets anything from a place he's not familiar with he'll do a search on the company to see what kind of information comes up about it.

I'll know better next time.

First, the purchase of the software went through. Then there was another small purchase of $1.94 and then a $.05 international charge. I didn't know about these next two. Sunday, the fraud department at PNC called to verify new charges coming through the checking account. The next one was for $79.95, causing an overdraft to that account. I was horrified. The fraud department had put a freeze on my account even as other charges were coming in.

My debit card was cancelled at our request.

I got on the phone with the account division of the bank and told them about the fraud. The representative was able to put a dispute in for the second and third charges. The fourth one, the one that would cause an overdraft, was still on hold but possibly could be posted. I was so upset but the lady assured me that even it did go through the bank would do an investigation. That charge and any fees associated with it would be credited back to me.

I didn't feel very much better. I feel so stupid.

When I saw the charge for $1.97 on my statement, I realized the name of the company wasn't Google at all. It was XM Brands MU Cancun. Cancun??? And I wonder what the MU refers to? The $79 purchase had something to do with cosmetics according to the fraud guy.

Guys, be on your guard. I was sucked in because I wanted a legit way to work from home--I needed money and felt I wasn't marketable. "Desperation" makes us easy marks.

This XM company is everywhere!

Here are some links about them:

Scam

Scam II
Misleading Information


Ripoff Report

Unauthorized Charges
Need Money Scam: XM Brands