Here’s a reminder that one must remain ever vigilant against shady direct mail offers that masquerade as bills that you are expecting.

Reader Karen says:

Yesterday, I got the mail and in there was a renewal form for my Wired subscription. I figured I must be getting towards the end and grabbed my checkbook (Yes, I still write checks). I looked at the price, $48, and thought to myself that Wired must’ve raised their prices due to the economy. As I was about to write the check, I remembered that in the past I had made the check out to “Wired”…

Suspicion kicked in and I turned the form over. Sure enough, this wasn’t Wired themselves, but someone trying to become a middle-man between me and Wired.

I like to think of myself as a pretty savvy consumer so it was pretty sobering to almost “fall for it”. I guess I let my guard down.

Thanks for the heads up, Karen. We’re sure you’re not the only savvy consumer to almost fall for this sort of shady marketing. Their business counts on it! Oh, and we checked. 2 years of Wired does not cost $48.

GALLERY


END

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.