Neighbourhood Watch – News & Advice

by | May 6, 2025 | Village News

Scamscriptions: how to stop a dodgy recurring payment

A scamscription is a fraudulent or misleading subscription that charges you on a recurring basis without your explicit knowledge or informed consent. These scams often start out posing as free trials, limited-time deals, or contests requiring a credit card for “verification.”

Need to know

  • If you spot a dodgy recurring payment, contact your card provider and ask them to stop all future payments.
  • Gather as much evidence as you can to demonstrate that you’ve been misled or the company is a scam, you could do this by providing examples of other people complaining of similar experiences.
  • Getting a refund on the money you have lost can be difficult as these appear to be authorised transactions, if you card provider refuses to refund your money, you should escalate a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman.
  • If you spot a recurring payment on a credit card, you could try claiming a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Our free Section 75 and chargeback tool(https://www.which.co.uk/tool/section-75-and-chargeback) can help you claim.

Report the scam to Action Fraud (https://reporting.actionfraud.police.uk/), or if you live in Scotland, report it to the Police on 101. Scam websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-this-website/report-scam-website).

ATM Theft

Protect yourself from ATM theft.

  • It’s a good idea to scan the area around ATMs before you use them.
  • Be aware of anyone standing close by and always check the machine to see if it’s been tampered with before you use it.
  • If it doesn’t look right, steer clear and go inside a bank where possible
  • Keep a regular check on your transactions
  • When you’ve left the ATM, put your card away immediately!

If you have information about any crime call 101, email: 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. If you see crime taking place call 999.

WG Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators – Simon Baker & Philippa Lake