My 83-year-old father, in NYC, got a check for a big $3.50 from
cyberspace.COM. (NOT .ORG)

If you sign the check, you get $19.95/month ISP service billed
to your phone bill.

There was a brochure but the condition on the check was in
fairly tiny print.

I am not a lawyer but, IMHO, if there are two conditions
in a contract and one is far more important than the other
then the more important condition should not be in much
smaller print than the less important condition.

I am reasonably certain that at least some people signed
up for ISP service who didn't have a computer and don't have
the faintest notion of what an ISP is. I believe my father
might well have except that he's in a nursing home following
a major stroke and I opened the mail. He had probably had
some minor strokes previously and he had certainly purchased
stuff for which he had no use to "help" him get past the
third stage of some sweepstakes.

3 responses total.

Welcome to the wonderful world of sleazy con-mail.  :(

        I've seen several of those checks-that-aren't-checks.  They really
should be made illegal - if you lose the check in a pile of other bills and
find it outside of the context of the other materials it's sent with, it can
be very deceptive.  I'm really surprised banks will cash them, since they're
conditionally cashable only upon listing a VISA number or a home address in
many cases.

As far as the bank is concerned, a check is a check.  There is no such thing
as a conditional check.  They only need a signature to cash it.  Just cross
out the small print and initial the change and cash it.  To play it safe,
don't give them a credit card number.

If you want to complain, the FTC consumer office is at:
6th Street& Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Room 240
Washington, DC 20580
202 362-2222
TDD/TTY 202 326-2502
www.consumer.gov

Response not possible - You must register and login before posting.

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss