IMC, Magazine Company Magazine Scam Largo, Florida

My daughter had just graduated from High School and gotten her first checking account and Visa card in June of 2010. She was 18 years old. A couple of months later these magazines started showing up at our home, Vogue, Glamour, Cosmo, Self and Shape. I was like, what the heck are these? She didn't want to tell me at first and lied to me saying she had gotten a free subscription. She was afraid to tell me what had really happened.

The magazines kept coming but she didn't even seem to look at any of them. So, they just got tossed in the recycling bin. Finally one day I saw her visa bill sitting out and I noticed a charge of $20 from IMC Magazines. I confronted her about it and found out that they had scammed her into it. She knew I would be mad, so she didn't want to tell me. I tried calling IMC to complain and to cancel and they threatened me back saying that they had her on tape recordings and would wreck my daughter's credit and her future if I stopped payment or canceled her credit card. Obviously I didn't want this to mess up her credit for the rest of her life. So, she went off to college in another state and I have been paying her $20/month charge ever since and tossing the magazines in the recycling bin, un-opened and un-read. Afraid to cancel her Visa account.

She had also tried calling them several times to try to get them to cancel, but again got threats from them. She said that she was told initially that it was $20/mo. for 6 months. Here we are almost a year and a half later and still getting charged. We finally called them back today (1/20/2012) to ask just how long we had left and we were told that there are 3 payments left. Hopefully that is true and we will be done with these crooks. If not, you will hear from me again.

Someone really needs to do something about these companies that are going after 18 year olds right out of high school like this. They somehow get the information she opened a Visa. Who is selling them that info? The guy on the phone said it was $400 some dollars she will have paid in to them for 5 magazines. They say you can change your magazines, but who trusts them. I would be afraid to say anything over the phone again that would make it sound like you extended your order or anything. Since they claim that they have my daughters voice recordings agreeing to their magazine contract. They record all phone calls, even ours from today, which worries me, as well.

DO NOT GIVE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFO TO THEM!