Check Your Bank Statements! IEPTCS Fraudulent Charges Widespread

The domain IEPTCS.COM is currently dead, but its name is alive and well across bank statements in the US — and it seems FastWeightLossKit.com is taking over where the first scam left off.

If you’re like many people, you check your bank’s website a few times a week… and a charge like the fraudulent ones reported as debited by IEPTCS.COM or FastWeightLossKit.com might not immediately register. It is possible a great many people are not aware that these fraudulent charges appear to be widespread and only noticeable in detailed billing statements.

I learned of the IEPTCS.COM issue today, when after a protracted shut-out by Chase I was finally allowed access to my account. An initial charge on 6/23/2014 by IEPTCS.COM had been reversed a week later — but Chase had not warned me that my account had been compromised. Online banking customer service was unable to explain who had reversed the initial charge, or why.

After a cursory poke around on Google, it seems many checking accounts, debit cards, and Visas had been hit with unauthorized charges by IEPTCS.COM — and no formal alert to be careful about a potential fraud appears to have been issued. It’s probable that a great many users of Chase and other banks did not notice the $49.95 charge hidden among legitimate transactions… and thusly, did not complain and ask for a reversal.

Again, it isn’t even clear who mysteriously reversed the IEPTCS.COM charge debited from my account in late June, or why banking customers had not been warned. But soon after the reversal of the IEPTCS.COM charge, a second charge for FastWeightLossKit.com in the amount of $49.95 had been debited from my account… and not reversed.

Unfortunately, in order to be credited your own money back by Chase, you must first cancel your card and then travel physically during business hours (read: when you are supposed to be at work) to a branch for a replacement. Then you get to find and change all your automatic debits and other accounts, which is, if you’re lucky, hours of work. (And late fees, as you will inevitably miss some and be charged.)

It is important to know that if you’ve been charged by IEPTCS.com, calling the site’s number won’t help — and some users report further “phishing” for personal information occurs if they are answered.

Over on one site where scam victims compare notes, one writes:

“Fraud. I had a charge on my account from ieptcs.com for 49.95 with this number listed. After calling the number it immediately went to a busy signal and after researching online, many reports of fraudulent charges from this company.”

Another says:

“I also had charges applied to my card from this company with the card in my possession. They actually charged my $49.95 twice which resulted in fees from my bank. This company will now not answer when I call. Only a busy signal. My bank is also disputing the charge. I was told from my bank this was an international company. I really hope this happens to nobody else!!!”

While many users seem to have reported IEPTCS.com as a fraudulent charge, the second and similar FASTWEIGHTLOSSKIT.COM charge appears to be under the radar. Have you noticed any unauthorized charges from companies such as the IEPTCS.com one?