Receiving magazines I never asked for and worried.

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Without explanation I have been receiving a sports magazine and some sort of a business advice magazine since about early september. I have bad no idea why. I mean, I haven't been subscribed to any magazines since Anime Insider and Otaku USA. I don't understand why I am receiving magazines about topics I am clearly not interested in and have not made any payments for.

Last night I received a call from the "credit" department of a so-called "Magazine Inc." He asked me if I was a minor. The guy told me that I am behind on payments and that he wanted to negotiate a payment schedule "with lower payments" for these two magazines. I told him I never ordered these magazines, and he replied "Yes, you did!" I kept insisting and asked where he had gotten his information from and he said "my computer screen!" I asked him if I could speak to his supervisor, he gave me a phone number to call. Upon calling I was prompted to give a code and upon dialing the code in, I was told the "PIN" was invalid.

I had another incident about 2-3 years ago with another magazine company where I got sweet-talked into providing my debit card number to the folks on the other end, and when I realized the mistake, I told the guy I was not interested and he told me, I couldn't pull out. I told him I revoked my payment, and he replied telling me if I persisted, he was going to charge any amout to my debit card. I had to go to the bank and ask if any money was being withdrawn from my account by this company and to stop the withdrawals by this company. When I received a bill in the mail from this company, I found that they had contracted me for a couple of years and that I had a balance of 1,060.00. The company called and I told them I was not interested and wanted to withdraw from the contract, and they said "Sorry, no deal." In desparation, I handed the phone to my dad and he said, "I'm his guardian and he is disabled, and if you persist, I will call the Better Business Bureau and law enforcement on your asses." Apparently, that resolved the issue, and I never heard anything from them since. I just hope it is not them again, I never gave them anything to indicate where I lived.

Now, this comes up, and I am worried that they are going to try and ruin my credit score, and I wont be able to get any kind of loans from anybody (especially important to me to be able to have credit since I am wanting to go to graduate school eventually and Vocational Rehab. doesn't help with anything past a bachelor's degree. Also, I would like to get some money to pay for finding an apartment). My dad suggested I write "Refused. Not Ordered" on the mailing labels, and send them back to the publishers. However, the issues with this company are still hanging over my head. How do I handle it with them if they call again.

Be careful what you click on.

I see sucker bait ads for things like that from time to time on certain websites - I've especially noticed them on FaceBook, in connection with so-called 'polls' and various quizzes. Some of them will try to trick you into okaying permission for them to switch your cell phone carrier, which gives them access to all sorts of other personal info.

I think it sounds like a scam to get you to give your credit card number to the scammers. The good news is, they don't have your credit card number. Don't ever give it to them. Your credit rating can't be ruined because you haven't actually bought anything using your credit card.

Ignore the "credit department" of "Magazine, Inc.". It sounds like a bunch of phishers hoping you would give them your credit card number over the phone. If you had actually ordered anything using your card, it would have been automatically charged to your card. I doubt these people have anything except your telephone number and address, information they probably were able to get online. They certainly don't have any actual evidence of you ordering anything.

Sometimes legitimate magazine companies will send free issues of magazines to people they hope will become subscribers. I have gotten several of these. They obviously have bought subscription lists from other companies and are attempting to get new customers. But when a legitimate company does this, they include a form with the magazine (or a few days later) saying they hope you enjoyed it and if you want to subscribe, just fill out the form and send a check or give them your credit card number. They never attempt to charge you for the un-asked-for magazines because that is illegal. Nobody may be charged for unsolicited merchandise. They may only give you unsolicited merchandise for free and hope that entices you into becoming a customer.

But this doesn't sound like that. This just sounds like a scam. I'm glad you didn't give them your credit card number.

I've been there before... my own fault for filling out surveys I guess.

A few years ago, I got a call from something called Delta International, apparently a stock broker firm... As I was sitting with my computer at the time, I just kept the salesman occupied while searching the company on google. Turned out a lot of scammer warnings had been given out about them and that they also were denied from doing business in many countries, including Denmark. I told them so and that the line was being traced.... they never called me back

The Refused, not ordered tactic is the best I can think of. Eventually they probably will stop sending you mail. Also, check out the company on google to see if there are other tactics to outscam the scammers. As a rule, never give out your credit card info on the phone or in chats and e-mails. Legit companies will not ask for credit card numbers in this manner, but will give you a form by mail or on a secure webpage.

Good luck in the future