SchemeGame.com Scheme Game, Schemegame Schemegame/ Scamgame Internet

I am an everyday, regular consumer. Some of the people leaving reports are pretty wacky, I'll admit... this makes the authenticity and validity of their complaints significantly lower.  I am a teacher who teaches students with reading and learning disabilities. I have a student who needs to read "Immortal Guardians- Spirit Animals-Book 1" by Eliot Schrefer for a class report. She took the book out of the library, but I wanted a version for myself to read along with her. Most of the books we need to read together for school come in a pdf version, luckily. This is a newer book and I knew I'd probably have a hard time finding one for it. I scoured around and ended up finding a link (https://soundsoftheswamp.com/immortal-guardians-spirit-animals-fall-of-the-beasts-1-...)  on Google that promptly auto-directed me to schemegame.com and its teaser of a hook page. 

Immediately I am shown the exact cover of the book I was searching for. They make it look all blurred out, like uh-uh-uhhh you can't access this...  until I SIGN UP! SIGN UP! SIGN UP! See if you're eligible! It REAKED of a scam. Even if they have actual titles available to people who are *smart* enough to actually pay for this "service", it still had every internet marketing gimmick possible to hook a curious new visitor.  and keep in mind I am fully aware that I still fell for it all. I totally am able to admit that. 

Anyway, you are immediately asked for credit card information, but no, no they won't EVER charge it! NO CHARGES! EVER! It's just to verify where you live.

Immediately upon putting in your card info, SURPRISE it's a 5-day trial

Once you get past the circus of a sign-up process, you now see that you've absolutely been charged. You're finally brought to the "members area" like it's so fricking cool, where you are now instantly asked to upgrade! YAY! I'm So TOTALLY going to upgrade! Not. Just give me the d*mn book. Hm, here is the search bar... now I KNOW they showed me the book cover with all the book pages blurred out earlier... so I just know that they will have the book. Type it in...  NOTHING. They don't have the god d**n book. After all this!? Thye don't even have it!? They just put it up in the beginning to make me think they have it? Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think this was a sca---- wait a minute... it IS. A huge, giant, flashing light, in your face, not even trying to hide it-- SCAM. 

Want more? Try to cancel this 5-day trial. If you want to cancel, they charge you .99.  Yes, that's right, so now you just spent $1.99 to get nothing. But WAIT! There is actually even more if you can believe it. They also want ONE more CENT, to cancel if you are still in the trial period!  I get such a kick out of the people rebutting complaints here saying "you're dumb why didn't you just cancel?"  It's not about being able to cancel. It's about scamming money out of people on the sly, and it's beyond obvious. At a certain point I was no longer seriously thinking this was a legitimate website, I was just laughing at how bad it was. I knew I would probably get charged, I knew what this was turning out to be. I knew immediately I would report it. 

This website should literally be stoned to death. This is exactly the kind of scammy crap that makes this world a bad place.

Let's recap:  

1) Shady redirection from a Google search, link came up first in the list which is obviously a paid ploy to be put at the top of search results.

2) Purposely misleading images on the initial page to make you think they have your book/game/whatever on an obvious hook page, design to hook a new and curious visitor in. 

3) Purposely vague and misleading verbiage pertaining to credit card information acquisition that only AFTER you enter it do you find out the true intention

4)Purposely sized fonts indicating additional charges/donations amid larger fonts enticing you to Continue through the process.

5) Unsolicited/involuntary/mandatory donation to charity that seemingly has their hand in this business as a ploy to tug at emotions of potential members

6) Absolutely horrible selection of items, in no way living up to the hype, with your item likely not being there at all despite being strongly suggested that they had it (you just couldn't access it yet) on the initial hook page.

Does this sound legit? Legit scam, maybe.  Are other sites just as guilty? Totally. Are people dumb for continuing to fall for this crap? Totally. But I would file a complaint about both major sites and dinky wanna-be sites alike. Anything like this that I feel is purposely designed to scam people into forking over money for no actual item received. Its like taking candy from a baby for them.