Webloyalty and Negative Option Schemes

I have continued to research the pernicious Webloyalty. There are countless sites on the net exposing them, so it is easy enough to see the big picture. The problem is, their scam works when it isn't noticed. Once you notice, and have the time and certainty to challenge their confidence scheme, then you've pretty much figured it out yourself. I was lucky enough to check this morning. Imagine the many Americans who simply assume that their online transactions are being handled honestly. Such people might not notice the recurring twelve dollar fee. It's such a small amount, one can see how it might slip by unnoticed for months.

Here's the great part.

Webloyalty's payment processor is located in Lowell, MA, the town where I was born.

Here's what the execrable Rick Fernandes, CEO and Chief Swindler over at Webloyalty has to say about Litle & Co.:

"Litle & Co. is more than a processor. They are a partner. In every step of our relationship, they have added value in many, many ways. They have assisted us in understanding the nuances of the processing environment. They strive to enhance the value of our business by ensuring that processing through them is a value-added proposition."

This was taken right from the Litle & Co. website! They post a quote from one of the biggest perpetrators of legalized Internet theft in the country right on their homepage, as if it was a point of pride! So, if Litle & Co. is not just a processor, but a partner, then they are equally guilty and equally worth of opprobrium.

Litle & Co is located at 900 Chelmsford Street, in Lowell. Stop by and say, "Howdy, partners!!!"

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In case you're curious, along with Fandango and allposters.com, here are some other companies that work or who have worked with Webloyalty: EB Games, Redcats USA (online retailer for Lane Bryant and Brylane Homes), movietickets.com, petco.com (yes, Mom!), ftd.com, and staples.com.

My experience with the swindlers at Webloyalty reminded one of my readers of the controversy surrounding freecreditreport.com.

Type in "freecreditreport.com" and "scam" into google and you'll get 425,000 hits.

The most succinct article my search revealed was posted by a man named Mike. He notes that this site was investigated by both the Federal Trade Commission and the Florida state attorney general's office.

Despite paying out a massive settlement, FCR continues to conduct business as usual.

As do Webloyalty, Vista Print, and others that operate "negative option" schemes.

Why this cyberpickpocketing continues, often in such a glaringly "steal from the poor and give to the rich" way, should be a cause of great concern because, to my mind, it seems impossible to imagine this going on without help from corrupt government agencies. Or, let me put it this way: either the government regulatory agencies are corrupt OR they are inept.

Well, okay. I can imagine a third solution. Some decent minded attorney general has these bastards in his or her sights, and soon, heads are going to roll.

I hope this is the case.