A Prodigy subscriber apparently has rigged up an elaborate system--including a toll-free number--to talk other members out of their credit card numbers and other private information, CNET learned today.
With rising frequency, scam artists are trying to get passwords and credit card numbers from members of online services, raising concerns among Netizens and Internet service providers. The problem is so pervasive that America Online (AOL), the nation's largest online service, constantly posts messages telling members that they never will be asked for their passwords.
But this may be the first time that someone has set up a toll-free number to get them.
Prodigy members are being sent instant messages by an unknown user while they are logged on to the network, telling them to dial an 800 number. When they call, they are greeted with a professional-sounding male voice telling them they have reached Prodigy's billing department.
"If there is a mistake in your last billing statement please leave that information at the tone, " callers are told. "If were told to call us by one of our online representatives, please leave your name, billing address, valid credit card number, expiration date, phone number, and birthday. Your problem will be handled by the next billing day."
Prodigy says it never asks for credit card information over the phone, said a billing representative, who declined to give her name. If Prodigy has a problem with a credit card, she said, it will send an online message to the customer asking him to go online to fix the information.
"We never go through instant messages and ask for credit card information and passwords, " she said.
The representative said members have called to complain about the line but, so far, have not identified the screen name of the person sending the instant message. Prodigy, she added, cannot legally go into instant messages looking for the person because those are considered private.
Meanwhile, anyone with questions or information can call the real billing department at (800) 213-0992.

Charged my debit card without authorization.

I helped my mom sign up for AOL years ago. I cancelled my account in summer '05 and went through the same things written about here. But when my mom tried to cancel a few months later, the customer service, or lack thereof, was ridiculous.

She couldn't get through online via the keywords 'cancel' and/or 'billing' so eventually she just cleared AOL off her computer and set about trying to phone AOL to cancel her service. When that proved futile, she thought, 'well, my card expires in April, so they can't bill me after that anyway.' She was wrong. AOL was the ONLY vendor who she had automatically billed to that credit card who kept billing her on an expired card. Every other company contacted my mother and told her she needed to update them with a new expiration date in order for them to bill her automatically.

Finally - after trying to call them for months. We decided we would search on the web for a way to cancel AOL - assuming someone out there had gone through a similar experience and written about it. We were shocked to find this site and read so many stories that were eerily similar.

We used a phone number someone posted on here and did get through to Customer (lack-of) Service and were treated like complete idiots. They used phrases with us such as, 'okay - once again - to reiterate, since I don't think you are understanding me' etc. They were so demeaning and rude my blood was boiling. They kept asking when we had tried to call before. I finally got on the phone and told them that NONE of that mattered. The history of us trying to contact them was insignificant, we want it canceled now. He then said, 'Okay - well please listen to my instructions so you don't have to call me and scream at me again if your account isn't properly cancelled.' Scream at him. Please...I was reserved considering how angry I was.

We were told that if we didn't listen to his 'instructions' we might 'accidentally reinstate the service and void the cancellation.' What the flip does that mean? Finally - he started to hang up without giving us a cancellation number. When we asked for one - he THEN said, 'do you want an immediate cancellation?' AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! 'YES!' So THEN and ONLY THEN did he start the cancellation process. I asked him how many months he was going to reimburse my mom for and he said that he was going to reimburse nothing because the account hadn't previously been cancelled. He told us it was OUR responsiblity to get them the correct credit card information and the credit card company's fault for letting an expired card go through. He was so rude and condescending that I asked if I could speak with a Supervisor. He said, 'well this call isn't 'escalatable.' I said, 'oh really - well, I'd like to speak to him anyway' and he said, 'well I can see if he 'wants' to get on the phone.' WANTS???? OH MY GOD!

Finally a Mr. 'Willy Williams' got on the phone and was ten times ruder than the first guy. He kept talking down to me, and acting like we are the only customers to ever have this problem - basically calling us idiots. He then said they would email us at the AOL address with a confirmation. I was so frustrated I said, 'SIR! She hasn't used her AOL account in over six months - so emailing her there won't help.' To which he replied, 'well, I said it was going to be emailed there, I didn't say she had to read it.'

Finally - he was so rude I grabbed the phone and told him about all the websites containing dozens of complaints of customers similar to me and about the Attorney General's decision in New York which was to reimburse thousands of previous AOL customers millions of dollars for their cancellation schemes and tactics. I told him we were NOT idiots even though he was talking to us as if we were and I told him he could act like this is the only time this has happened with AOL and a customer but really AOL Is known for being shady and sneaky. I said, we will take up the reimbursement issue with our credit card company and I hung up. I am incensed. I understand that they don't care about us now b/c we are no longer customers, but that was beyond bad customer service. I can't believe those people get paid to talk like that. What jerks.

I tried for an hour to cancel aol's call alert. I just kept getting different web sites to go to.

AOL offers free trials and when you don't cancel aol continues the service even when the 30 free trial is up. They then bill you 3ys. later through a collection agency and threaten to seek judgment. How do they get away with this!