BBB Suggests Caution Towards Online ‘Free Trial’ Offers

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning people to use caution when approaching online offers that boast “risk-free trials.”

Many times, what may appear as a free offer actually includes fine print that leads to customers receiving unwanted products that are charged to your debit or credit cards.

The internet and social media are loaded with offers of “free trials” that guarantee an opportunity for a free product with a minute shipping cost.


When customers do not read the fine print, the BBB discovered that people are often unknowingly subscribing to receiving products over time.

In some cases, New York victims have lost hundreds of dollars due to this.

The problem continues to grow as the Federal Trade Commission reported a doubling in the number of “free trial” complaints from 2015 to 2017.

72 percent of victims are women as a result of many fraudulent ads promoting skin care products, according to a BBB investigation. 

Along with promoting products, many scams are falsely claiming that major celebrities have endorsed their products.