97 'Brain Training' Sites Trying to Get Your Money
At some point or another, most of us have come across online tests which claim to measure your IQ. These websites also offer brain training exercises that supposedly make your mind sharper. These fun little tests seem to have a sinister side when people to not read the small print. You may unknowingly end up paying €20 to €89 per month as subscription fee. We identified 98 websites which all seem to be related. Are these a Brain Training Scam?
In our research, we have found at least 97 websites which offer the same rewards, use similar layouts and have identical membership plans. Our suspicions that these websites are related, was confirmed when we found that 69.5% of the websites share just 8 IP addresses and 85.4% of websites are supposedly by the same company. Therefore, we can conclude that there seems to be established networks of Brain Training websites which are luring users into unintentionally signing up for monthly subscriptions to their services.
How Do Brain Training Scams Work?
The website we researched have a simple premise: lure users into sharing their card details and then charge a subscription fee every month.
While the websites don’t show any obvious outward signs of being a scam, the number of reports we receive every month about these scams is considerable. Technically speaking, the websites have their bases covered so that they can put the full blame on users for not paying attention to the terms. They have prominent ‘Cancel Subscription’ buttons and outline the caveats of their ‘Membership Reward’ on the sign-up page.
However, as 91% to 97% of consumers don’t read terms and conditions before signing up for services, it is disingenuous on the part of these websites to hide the real details in the fine print.
Brain Training Scam websites entice users with attractive gifts such as iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches or offer a ‘Free Trial’. However, users need to enter their card details to start the ‘Free Trial’ or pay $1 ‘membership fee’ to get the reward.
What users often don’t realize is that they are signing up for a recurring subscription that has to be manually cancelled. Hidden in small print is the fact that by signing up for the ‘Free Trial’, you are agreeing to pay for a monthly subscription.
In the case of the websites which offer ‘Membership Rewards’, the terms say that users are only eligible for the prize if they have the ‘highest activity’ AND 90 days have passed since the start of the subscription. This means that not only do users have to subscribe for at least 3 months, they also have to achieve the ‘highest activity’ to get their ‘Membership Reward’.
Even if a user realizes their mistake and wants to opt-out, unsubscribing seems to be a hurdle. While all the websites provide contact information, often the email IDs or phone numbers do not function. When checked, sevearal email IDs looked like they cannot receive emails and the phone numbers we tried seemed to be non-existent or are not answered.
It starts getting more suspicious when you notice that most of these companies claim to be located in Nicosia, Cyprus or the Netherlands and provide a UK phone number. 81 out of the 97 websites we researched share many of the same company names and addresses, which makes it clearer that these websites are part of the same network.
While it does look like the websites provide 'tests' after users sign up, we know for a fact that there are scores of users who feel duped after signing up on these websites. It is extremely suspicious for there to be multiple websites offering exactly the same services operated by the same companies. If you come across such a website, you now know the caveats to look out for.
Read the articles below to know more about Subscription Scams and what you can do if you get trapped by one.
Billing, Subscription & Membership Scams
How to Get Your Money Back From a Scam
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Appendix
List of websites suspected of being involved in Brain Training Scams:
all-iqtest.com
baderzshop.com
baselinecortexshop.com
besmartgame.com
braincellsmatter.com
brainchecking.com
brainer.cc
braingainshop.com
braingamemovement.com
brainiakks.com
braininja.com
brain-iqcheck.com
brainmethods.com
brainmindshop.com
brainmotivation.com
brainskillshop.com
brainunderstanding.com
brainwashee.com
broonostore.com
clevermindstore.com
conolshop.com
creativemindshop.com
deepbraingenius.com
demskoshop.com
donormalshop.com
ebrainshop.com
einsteinthinkingstore.com
emotionalbrainz.com
fieedshop.com
graymatterimprove.com
greatsmartiq.com
groundworktraining.com
headwitters.com
hippocampaltraining.com
imindshop.com
intellectualmindshop.com
iqbraintrainer.com
iqmemorytraining.com
iqtesta.com
ishopskill.com
koervashop.com
kowekshop.com
krunoshop.com
land.brainer.cc
leftybraintraining.com
lijstingshop.com
lobulusportal.com
lobulustraining.com
memoryofthecentury.com
mentalscoreportal.com
mentalscores.com
mentalscoreshop.com
mentalstrengthstore.com
mentenshop.com
merieshop.com
mindsensesstudio.com
mindskillshop.com
mindstimulators.com
nedergenshop.com
nipposhop.com
omstelshop.com
positiveheadclub.com
qaadsshop.com
qawshop.com
raftashop.com
seveiht.com
showpers.com
skilledbrainshop.com
skilyneshop.com
socialgamestore.com
sowwishop.com
spenroodshop.com
splitoshop.com
sqatqashop.com
stimulationsz.com
suntishop.com
toktakstore.com
trainingthalami.com
tweeandtwoshop.com
ultimatebraintrain.com
veeginshop.com
visplshop.com
waqshop.com
watuhshop.com
watusshop.com
wejoowshop.com
wekshop.com
welarehop.com
wisebrainshop.com
wjuzshop.com
wlatzeshop.com
wuvustore.com
zadkashop.com
zekenkishop.com
zesvushop.com
zevenzevenshop.com
zjoenshop.com
This article has been written by a scam fighter volunteer. If you believe the article above contains inaccuracies or is missing relevant information, please contact Scamadviser.com using this form.
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