Hello everyone,

I wanted to share a recent experience I had that turned out to be a scam, hoping it might prevent others from falling into a similar trap.

Recently, I received a message claiming to be from my new Internet provider, TDS. It stated that I had won a new iPad and all I needed to do was complete a short 9-question survey and pay a small shipping fee of $11.99. Excited by the prospect, I completed the survey and provided my payment information for the shipping fee.

To my shock, immediately after finishing the survey, I noticed two large charges on my bank account – one for $149.97 and another for $29.97. Alarmed, I tried calling the number provided in the initial message, but it was non-functional. Later, I received an email about an upcoming shipment and contacted the provided number, 18885389953. A representative named Nahnya explained that the $29.97 charge was for entry into a drawing for the iPad, and the $149.97 was for entry into a drawing for a $500 gift certificate. She initially offered a 50% refund.

When I demanded a physical address and informed them that I would be contacting the police, BBB, and FBI, they suddenly offered a full 100% refund, which they claimed would be processed within 3 to 5 business days. I’m not very optimistic about receiving this refund.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? I’m looking for advice and wondering if there’s more I can do to protect others from this scam.

Thank you for any input or shared experiences.