Predatory Junk Mail

I received in the mail this week a “check” from TruCredit in the amount of $5. This was a legitimate looking check and is cashable at any bank institution that you own apparently. There is tons of small print here that you need to watch out for, if you cash this supposedly “free check” they automatically enroll you in their credit protection program and charge you like $50 per month automatically drawn from whatever account you cash or deposit the check into.

I don’t know how they contract that information that makes you automatically accept and enroll just by cashing the check, or how they can setup a link to your bank account by cashing or depositing the check. This is something that preys upon people who are willing to cash any little check that is made out to them in the mail.

So be careful out there if you receive a small check in the mail that you can deposit, don’t get tricked into depositing it. Always read the fine print, and don’t be so desperate for a few bucks that you may end up paying ten times that for some service or product you don’t even want or need.

-Justin Germino