CCA, THE FIRST NATIONAL MERCHANT CARD Blatant attempt to blind the greedy with small print and "free" money. Shameful! Las Vegas Nevada

If I'd gotten this at home, I might have given it more credence. Lucky for me, it showed up at my office, where I certainly shouldn't be getting credit card offers (especially unsolicited ones!). I was initially confused, as it appears to be a regular ol' credit card from First National Bank. Upon further investigation, this is a scam.

The fine print (and there's plenty of it) mentions things like "one time activation fee of $199.99", "annual fee of $198 for the first year and $99 thereafter", "$15 late payment fee", "$20 returned check fee", "$29.99 rush processing fee" and (my personal fave) "If you decide not to keep the benefits past the 30 day free trial, notify us in writing within the 30 days. If you decide not to keep them annually thereafter, notify us in writing at least 3 business days before we charge them. If you don't notify us, we'll automatically charge a fee of $99.99 for each great benefit to your Merchantcard on your first month bill and annually thereafter".

Sorry for the long quote, but I wanted to give you a real taste of this garbage. Appparently, if you call the 1-800 number, they'll ask you to agree to a couple of things and then tell you you're going to get billed $299 in the next billing cycle.

Bottom line: If you see anything like this in your mailbox, destroy it immediately and warn your friends. Honestly, I'm not even sure what this "credit card" is supposed to be good for!

Scott
San Jose, California
U.S.A.