Not defending the crooks at Intelius... but for god's sake, it took a YEAR to notice those charges?!? Pull your head out! THAT is why these scam artists succeed.

I gotta agree with cb- it's not like it was a few cents a month, it was $20!

So the guy got confused by an upsell? It was probably $2 for a single phone number, or ~$20 a month for unlimited searches.

What's really scary is all these guys need is your phone number to assess monthly charges against your phone account. Our phone company gladly helped to cancel the charges once we noticed them but they are obligated BY LAW to add charges to your phone bill if one of these scammers says it's a legitimate charge and they have your phone number.

I now officially vote for this section being renamed the "Stupid People" report. How does someone miss an additional $20 each month for an extended period of time? Once you notice the charge, call the the credit company and they can prevent that business from making additional charges to your account......problem solved.

I agree that these folks at Intelius and many others like them will sneak in extra charges. But, if you don't monitor your credit card statement every month, it's your own fault if it goes on more than a month or two.

I agree with mnfish. How dumb can people be?

It happened to me too - clearly, it's a deceptive marketing practice. But fortunately, I caught it sooner than these folks did. When I called customer service they basically said "too bad" - no refunds (it was obvious from their well rehearsed response that the agents spent much of the day dealing with this kind of call). After you approve the $1.95 charge it takes you to a screen filled with legalese. Buried on that screen is information about the $19.95 recurring charge. Seriously, how many of us read through all that stuff before clicking "next"? I'm all for personal responsibility, but I hope every a.g. in the country sues them - those unscrupulous &%$^%## deserve it!!!

Wow, i can't believe most of the comments are about the people that were defrauded here. The point is, this company is useless and likely remains viable because they defraud people on a regular basis. Who cares how long it took for these people to find the charges. If you've been through anything like this, you know what a pain it is. I caught something like this immediately on my account because I check my account online every single morning, but that didn't limit my frustarations. These companies profit because of these illegal tactics and otherwise wouldn't exist.

same thing happened to me with a free credit check scam. live and learn i guess. sob´s get away with robbery and nothing gets done???