Someone's Unscrupulous Teeth Trick

Let me explain. CathysTeethTrick.com is a one-post blog. In it, "Cathy" tells you she got whiter teeth using free samples of two different whitening products. And she helpfully gives you links to them, after mentioning that you'll need to pay a few dollars for shipping.

Go ahead and look at the site.  It's safe enough to look at.

It's a great story, and if you drink wine like I do, the whiteness of your teeth is probably of concern to you.  Cathy seems like a helpful soul who accidentally discovered an easy, low-cost solution, which she's kind enough to share.

I don't know if there is a real Cathy out there, but it points out that a convincing story which addresses a perceived need -- whiter teeth, in this case -- makes it easy to sell things on line.

BUT THE OFFER IS UNSCRUPULOUS (although probably perfectly legal):

If you sign up for the free samples (with their $6.99 shipping & handling fee), you have also agreed to have them charge your credit card $79 after the 14-day trial, and continue to send additional product  each month and charge you $86 for it.

Plus, to cancel your free trial, you need to jump through several hoops (obtain a return authorization, and mail the stuff back), making it less likely you'll succeed in cancelling without charge.

It's all there in the fine print.

There are at least two additional dangers:

1. You are giving your credit card information to people who are clearly unscrupulous.
2. You have no idea what's in the two products that Cathy recommends.  For all you know, they're the same thing in different packages.

I've seen similar URLs (Audrey's White Teeth) making the same offer, so I don't know if there's some affiliate program where people are paid to send traffic to the "free sample" signup pages, or whether it's just a clever operation using multiple sites to see what phrases/imagery drive the most traffic.

It's definitely a trick, though.  Don't fall for it.

(Courts have ruled that Google is not liable for bad products sold through AdWords, but I still wish they would do something, since AdWords is one of the ways that these people are getting traffic to their sites. )

Comments

[chinagreenelvis]

I almost fell for "Cathy's" site today. After clicking on the first link and seeing an all-too-familiar "fill out all your information in our fabulous looking form boxes" page, I decided to take a look back at the "one-post blog" and at the comments below it.

First of all, there is no link to post a comment. Second, at the bottom of the "comments," there is a simple bit of text that says "Comments Temporarily Disabled."

Total marketing ploy. The people that come up with this stuff are evil geniuses who deserve to be tossed down a smokeshaft.

[M. B.]

I tried hitting those sites from a couple different locations and saw "Audrey Smith in Wayne, PA" somehow also being "Audrey Smith in Greensboro, SC" and "Audrey Smith in Media, PA".

Obviously, nothing is legit there...

[Patricia Smith]

I also had the same problem with the weight loss product advertised on AOL. Just pay $3.99 shipping & handling for free sample - Sure, simple enough. Then I got charged for international transaction fee & then the first month's shipment. I canceled as soon as transaction hit my bank account but have been fighting ever since to get my money back.

Stay away from all AOL advertisers. Unscrupulous definitely! Probably illegal as well!

[fay leach]

I was scammed by this, thought I had received a free sample for the shipping fee of 9.99. turns out this is not a sample but a months supply, no instructions for return, and your aaccount is billed for 79.99. When you call to complain, you are told you are too late. My credit card co. is looking into removing the charges, but I think I will be stuck with aprox $160, and stuff that didn't do anything

[Jack]

Yeah, and if you post comments warning people on the site, they are deleted within five minutes.

[allie]

thanks this was very helpful! i almost did this then decided to check for scams before i hit the go-ahead button!

[Bill]

At first I saw the text under the 'About Me' section was wrong. It had 'E9' after the city name. And she just happens to live in my city, how nice.
I viewed the site through a proxy and I get no city this time, just a comma and blank spcae, site theme has changed, comments are changed too.

The photo is an obvious photoshop, exact same shot, different colour on the teeth.

The URL for the products they linkto goes to some weird unknown site.

They have big brand logos like CNN plastered all over the sites, it's kind of obvious it's too good to be true.

Being a web designer I can pick these things up easily, I would hate to think how many people have been fooled by these guys though.
It's absolutely irresponsible of Google, AOL et al to advertise to these scams.

Pro Tip: Get firefox with adblock plus to block all those crappy adverts.

[Fritz Holznagel]

As a Google AdSense user, I've been blocking this ad (and the similar ads for JimsMoneyMachine.com, or whatever those get-rich-quick scams are) from our site for months now.

The problem is, as soon as you block one URL, they change the URL to KarensTeethTrick.com or BobsTeethTrick.com. Then the ads run for another day or two until you spot them and block them.

Google tells me they're helpless to block the root company that's running these ads. I find that dubious, but that being their position, I'm reduced to blocking URL by URL.

I feel bad because I know that a certain percentage of users get suckered by these products on my site before I can block them.

And it's not great for the reputation of my site, either.

[Pearly White Teeth]

The problem is, as soon as you block one URL, they change the URL to KarensTeethTrick.com or BobsTeethTrick.com. Then the ads run for another day or two until you spot them and block them. - This one is true. Well, for teeth whitening tThere are a lot of ways to whiten your teeth. You can go to the professional, use commercial teeth whitening products, or simply get the job done in your home using the traditional methods. Well, here’s one - use baking soda. Baking soda has an active ingredient that can bleach teeth and even dentists recommend it.

[cosmetic dentist in los angeles]

probably your not really think if its real or not,thank you this entry.

florence

[Teeth Whitening Kits]

I fell for the scam. My suggestion to everyone that got scammed is contact the BBB and make a complaint.

[michael]

I saw the ad a month ago and didn't do it because i thought it was a scam. When I saw it again today i figured it must be legit if it's still out there. Luckily, I read the fine print before i submitted my order. People shouldn't be allowed to scam like that, even if it is 'legal'. Kudos to you for bringing people's attention to this scam.

[E. Junker]

Yep. I did order both halves of the binary tooth whitening system. "Try it for 14 days and if not completely satisfied..." The second half of the order doesn't come in time to test it. lol. After about 10 days I called and got the return info. I also told them I thought they were running a scam. I mentioned I would be making a proper report if the tried to bill my account for anything over the agreed (about 6 bucks total) "introductory" offer.

I got email the next day saying the order was canceled and they would be making a refund very soon. Again, lol. They still had a lock for about 80 bucks a week later (but no collection). I just canceled the debit card and had my C.U. issue a new one.

Jerks.

BTW, the first stuff they sent lasted about 5 days out of the "month's supply" and didn't work... LOL!

DAZZLEWHITE.TOTAL.SCAM.

[Kimmie]

http://www.dazzlesmilepro.com/index.php

Dazzle Smile is definitely a total scam. I also read one of these adverts via Facebook detailing 2 separate products with 'free trials'. They gave a promo code for discount on the shipping reducing the total apparent cost to $1.95. HOWEVER, only after I had processed the payment did it tell me it charged $11 - because I live in the UK. No prior warning but apparently in does state additional charges for non US residents their T&C's. At no point are you directed to the terms and conditions or asked to confirm you have read them. At this point I smelt a rat and looked into this further. They do supply the 14 day 'free' trial - as part of your 30 day initial pack. If you don't return the rest of the product (at your cost) they charge you in excess of $80 and will continue to send you the product automatically, and charge you for it, until you cancel. I spoke with their 'helpdesk' and asked them to revoke the transaction and refund me the $11 but they said it was too late, the transaction was automatic and could not be refunded. I am now awaiting my sample and will have to send it back to them, at my cost, in order to avoid paying $80. This is certainly not clearly outlined on their website and I am sure they catch many people out. Though it is seemingly legal as all of these details are outlined in their, not so easy to find, terms and conditions.
The only thing that attracted me to home tooth whitening in the first place was the excruciating pain my boyfriend endured after having his whitened at the dentist! I hope this page helps other people from being caught out.....

[GeneTinsley]

There is obviously a lot to know about this. There are some good points here.

I feel so cheated. I have just rung Shimmering white on this number 0-800-520-0933
and cancelled my order. I'm posting it back to them tomorrow. However the Purley white is apparently not related. The customer service rep said I need to call another number however on the invoice they have the same warehouse address. Can anyone help to track the Purley white customer service number. Many thanks B

[Chuck Turner]

Here is the head office phone number and address for Dazzlewhite /Dazzle Smile:

Suite 204, 85 Cranford Way Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada T8H 0H9
Phone: 780.416.0211
Email: customerservice@justthinkmedia.com

--
More about this company and their history can be found here:
www.webcops.net/just_think_media_spam_scams_8001.html
--
What they are doing is NOT legal no matter what they claim - they are breaking FTC rules on fair disclosure and are using deceptive advertising practices. There are several laws against what they are doing.

Where to file complaints: FTC https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

[James]

Good post! We wrote about the online teeth whitening scams a while back, and we are now having a difficult time keeping track of all the scam products that come to market. It seems like these companies rebrand their "brush-on" whiteners every week.

our original article can be found here:
http://www.teethwhiteningreviews.com/artman/publish/teeth-whitening-scams.php

[Jossie]

Dazzle White Pro and Clean White are scammers, the same thing happened to me. I paid for the two trials and 10 days passed and no trial by mail, they didnt want to cancel and told me that they were going to charge the $87.62 sample or no sample recieved, so what I went ahead and cancelled my credit card, they were not going to scam me, the first and last time that I order any trials ever again!!!!!!!

[Kaz]

I have had the same happen to me,apart from i cant get through to them to cancel!!! only thing is my bank is saying there would be no point canceling my card as they alreay have my details and the way they do it is so it is set up as a subscription so even on a closed account they can still try and take the money??? has anyone else been told this? should i close my bank account?

[Marilyn Gollan]

OrthoWhite and DazzleSmile were the two products a "young mother with no money" talked about on an internet radio station ad. I sent for the free trials, for $1.99 and $1.00 S & H. They arrived, but when my cred card bill came 2 weeks later, I saw a $78.00 charge from OrthoWhite. I called them, and was told I had agreed to Terms and Conditions (you had to mark that box to get the free sample). They said I could keep the product, and they would refund $45, or I could return it, and they would refund $60. Either way, they kept a portion of my money! I returned the product, paid over $7.00 to get a signed confirmation of return, and filed with the BBB. I called DazzleSmile to be sure they didn't intend to send more products. Good thing I called, since they were also sending me products for $85. They agreed to cancel my "elite membership". My credit card company told me they could not do anything about the OrthoWhite charges. Lesson learned, unscrupulous people are out there!

[Crusader]

Yes, same thing happened to me! Both Dazzle Smile and Smile White are the same. Free trial is not free. You get to wait 10 or 14 days until they charge you! Doesn't sound free to me! I got a $70 refund from Dazzle Smile out of $92 but Smile White offered nothing but to again charge me $6.99 for a UPS label to return the product. So I paid almost $10.00 but I never got my "free trial" and $20.00 for a "free trial" w/ Dazzle. Doesn't make sense right? That's because it's a scam!!! I filed a complaint w/ the FTC and their international board because the real name is "Just Think Media" in Canada from what I am researching. Please see below and file a complaint also. The more the FTC hears about it maybe they will do something. I intend on costing the company more then they charged me by going to every website that sponsers them and posting these emails on every website I can. That way unsuspecting consumers like me will not be blind sided by bogus charges!! Let's tell these companies not to mess w/ the consumer!! Cost them out of pocket expenses like they did to you!! :)

Dazzle White
JustThink Media
Corporate Head Office
Suite 204, 85 Cranford Way
Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA T8H 0H9
Phone: 780.416.0211
Fax:780.416.0218
Careers@justthinkmedia.com
Corporate@justthinkmedia.com
Legal@justthinkmedia.com
Customer Service
customerservice@justthinkmedia.com

FTC: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

http://www.econsumer.gov

Cleanwhites Customer Care
300 NE 62nd Street
Miami, Florida 33138
(877) 292-6892

[stillwaters]

The charge is for your "free" sample. If you don't cancel in 14 days, you are billed $80-$90 for your little bitty NOT free sample. My advice to all ... set up a free checking account with very little $ in it and use a debit card attached to that account for your internet purchases. If somebody like this gets your card, only a small amount can be debited to your account, you can file a dispute, and, most importantly, you can cancel your debit card (no more unauthorized charges!) and get a replacement card without charge or hassle from your bank!