PSA: Underhanded marketing tactics

[unixronin]

I got what looked for all the world like a bill for a National Geographic subscription renewal today.

There's just one problem ... we don't subscribe to National Geographic, and haven't entered a new order recently.  Careful examination revealed an explanation buried in the small print that says a renewal or new subscription will automatically be entered upon receipt of payment.  Unless I miss my guess, National Geographic is banking on people not looking closely at it, assuming another family member entered the order, and just paying it on the assumption that since it looks legit, it must be legit.  Hell, looking legitimate works for identity-stealing phishers, why shouldn't it work for selling subscriptions?

This is a dirty, underhanded trick, and my opinion of National Geographic just went down a big notch.

Comments

[sierra-nevada.livejournal.com]

This scam got written up in the SF Chronicle w.r.t. Wired about four months ago. I suspect this is a new thing in the magazine publishing biz that everyone is trying to see if they can get away with it.