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GameStop, Other Retailers Subpoenaed Over Credit Card Information Sharing

Posted by Soulskill on from the you-can-trust-us dept.

New York State's Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, has subpoenaed a number of online retailers, including GameStop, Barnes & Noble, Ticketmaster and Staples, over the way they pass information to marketing firms while processing transactions. MSNBC explains the scenario thus: "You're on the site of a well-known retailer and you make a purchase. As soon as you complete the transaction a pop-up window appears. It offers a discount on your next purchase. Click on the ad and you are automatically redirected to another company's site where you are signed up for a buying club, travel club or credit card protection service. The yearly cost is usually $100 to $145. Here's where things really get smarmy. Even though you did not give that second company any account information, they will bill the credit or debit card number you used to make the original purchase. You didn't have to provide your account number because the 'trusted' retailer gave it to them for a cut of the action." While there is no law preventing this sort of behavior, Cuomo hopes the investigation will pressure these companies to change their ways, or at least inform customers when their information might be shared.

7 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Accidental Purchases by B33R+N1NJ4 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Really! I didn't -mean- to buy Blow-Up Betty and a years subscription to Back-Door Babes. They tricked me into it!

  2. Re:Smarmy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Oh God, here come the pendants. If only you were as smart as you think you are.

  3. Re:PCI? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Why would you shop at Amazon when bittorrent routinely kicks their asson price and is just as 'not local'?

  4. Re:So if I use some one else's credit card by cdrudge · · Score: 2, Funny

    Except, if I remember it correctly, you did autorize it, it is just in very tiny print somewhere on the form you clicked

    Yeah, it was <small> print inside of a <!-- comment --> inside of a <div> that has a style of "display:none; position:absolute;left:-10000px;". I don't know why couldn't see it.

  5. Ventrue? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    From TFA:

    The three discount companies in question are Webloyalty, Affinion/Trilegiant and Vertrue.

    Well, there you go. Anyone dumb enough to accept a discount from an ancient lineage of aristocratic vampires deserves what they get.

    Wait... oh, Vertrue. Oops. Never mind.

  6. Re:PCI? by riegel · · Score: 2, Funny

    -- Home theater gear from Best Buy is low grade dog food.

    Offtopic but I am wondering...

    Not being a dog myself, how does one grade dogfood.

    --
    http://p8ste.com - Web based Clipboard
  7. Re:So if I use some one else's credit card by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Insert "Beware of the Leopard" comment here.