Hey! Just had the same thing happen to me. I called them up today, on 10-15-14. So yes, this same “company” is still doing this.
The charges were made on my credit card, but I never made the purchases.
2 charges, first was on 9-1-14, from 888-441-2916.com, who directed me to 866-732-8213. Oddly, my credit card marked this charge within the “Legal and Professional” category.
Second charge was on 9-10-14, from PURECLEAN 866-732-8213.
Both charges were for “Raspberry Keytone Strength,” both of which I haven’t received, and both of which cost $49.95. Both times, I spoke with the 3rd party customer service center.
After asking for a refund, they said one refund would go through, and I should receive it within 7-10 business days, however the second refund could not go through. They had to send the problem to their IT team, who would get back to me in 7 to 10 business days.
I am filing this report to warn the public about a nationwide scam/crime, summarized as follows:
Perpetrators, posing as a legitimate USA-based 3rd party “Customer Service” call center, are targeting customers of BB&T, JP Morgan Chase, City National, Wells Fargo, Fidelity, CapitalOne (and possibly other financial institutions).
They are using stolen PII (names, addresses, and VISA, MasterCard and bank debit card numbers)—to post an unauthorized charge of $49.95, allegedly for “online ordered” health and weight-loss supplements like Raspberry Ketone Strength, Slimdown, etc.
The $49.95 charge appears on bank customers’ statements as a 10-digit toll-free phone number.com. The most prevalent origin of the phone number is Florida, but the Customer Service center is actually located in Central America.
I was victimized on August 8, 2014 and again on August 30, 2014. The first time, my BB&T VISA check card was “hit;” then my CapitalOne MasterCard was hit.
On September 16, 2014 at 9:08 p.m., via an online scam alert website (address listed below), an alleged former agent/employee of the fraudulent call center, posted the following about this scam:
1) That 100+ Central America-based call center agents are taking calls from all over the USA;
2) That these agents knowingly lie to people who call to dispute the fraudulent charge. Agents are instructed to verify the caller’s name, address and card number and state that the person placed an online order for the product;
3) That the agents are instructed to grant chargebacks (refunds) only to irate callers who threaten legal action/prosecution;
4) That the agents deliberately lie about being located in Miami, Fla, when in fact they are physically located in San Jose, Costa Rica, Central America;
5) That the owners of the call center are Americans located in the USA and the name of their company is CRI Online Sales S.A;
6) That the call center agents and supervisors do not know how the owners obtained stolen PII and credit card numbers;
7) In his post, the alleged former employee of the call center encourages victims to report this scam/crime to the FBI, CNN, FOX News, CBS, and The Judicial Investigation Department, the institution in charge in Costa Rica (similar to the FBI) at http://www.poder-judicial.go.cr/.
To read the comments of other victims, click on the following link: http://www.illiteratewithdrawal.com/2014/08/raspberry-ketone-strength-scam/#comments:
To apply pressure to the perpetrators and to warn potential victims, I have filed a fraud complaint with the following agencies: 1) The Federal Bureau of Investigation; 2) The Internet Crime Complaint Center; 3) My State Attorney General’s office; 4) My State Better Business Bureau; 5) The Florida State Attorney General’s office; 6) The Florida Better Business Bureau (two different offices), and 7) Local and National television networks.
CRI Online Sales S.A Reviews
Hey! Just had the same thing happen to me. I called them up today, on 10-15-14. So yes, this same “company” is still doing this.
The charges were made on my credit card, but I never made the purchases.
2 charges, first was on 9-1-14, from 888-441-2916.com, who directed me to 866-732-8213. Oddly, my credit card marked this charge within the “Legal and Professional” category.
Second charge was on 9-10-14, from PURECLEAN 866-732-8213.
Both charges were for “Raspberry Keytone Strength,” both of which I haven’t received, and both of which cost $49.95. Both times, I spoke with the 3rd party customer service center.
After asking for a refund, they said one refund would go through, and I should receive it within 7-10 business days, however the second refund could not go through. They had to send the problem to their IT team, who would get back to me in 7 to 10 business days.
I am filing this report to warn the public about a nationwide scam/crime, summarized as follows:
Perpetrators, posing as a legitimate USA-based 3rd party “Customer Service” call center, are targeting customers of BB&T, JP Morgan Chase, City National, Wells Fargo, Fidelity, CapitalOne (and possibly other financial institutions).
They are using stolen PII (names, addresses, and VISA, MasterCard and bank debit card numbers)—to post an unauthorized charge of $49.95, allegedly for “online ordered” health and weight-loss supplements like Raspberry Ketone Strength, Slimdown, etc.
The $49.95 charge appears on bank customers’ statements as a 10-digit toll-free phone number.com. The most prevalent origin of the phone number is Florida, but the Customer Service center is actually located in Central America.
I was victimized on August 8, 2014 and again on August 30, 2014. The first time, my BB&T VISA check card was “hit;” then my CapitalOne MasterCard was hit.
On September 16, 2014 at 9:08 p.m., via an online scam alert website (address listed below), an alleged former agent/employee of the fraudulent call center, posted the following about this scam:
1) That 100+ Central America-based call center agents are taking calls from all over the USA;
2) That these agents knowingly lie to people who call to dispute the fraudulent charge. Agents are instructed to verify the caller’s name, address and card number and state that the person placed an online order for the product;
3) That the agents are instructed to grant chargebacks (refunds) only to irate callers who threaten legal action/prosecution;
4) That the agents deliberately lie about being located in Miami, Fla, when in fact they are physically located in San Jose, Costa Rica, Central America;
5) That the owners of the call center are Americans located in the USA and the name of their company is CRI Online Sales S.A;
6) That the call center agents and supervisors do not know how the owners obtained stolen PII and credit card numbers;
7) In his post, the alleged former employee of the call center encourages victims to report this scam/crime to the FBI, CNN, FOX News, CBS, and The Judicial Investigation Department, the institution in charge in Costa Rica (similar to the FBI) at http://www.poder-judicial.go.cr/.
To read the comments of other victims, click on the following link: http://www.illiteratewithdrawal.com/2014/08/raspberry-ketone-strength-scam/#comments:
To apply pressure to the perpetrators and to warn potential victims, I have filed a fraud complaint with the following agencies: 1) The Federal Bureau of Investigation; 2) The Internet Crime Complaint Center; 3) My State Attorney General’s office; 4) My State Better Business Bureau; 5) The Florida State Attorney General’s office; 6) The Florida Better Business Bureau (two different offices), and 7) Local and National television networks.