Free Trial Offer CBD Scam

How to tell if you found a CBD or similar Scam: My story of one Scammer.

I’m writing this article (and filmed n accompanying video) based upon real-life experiences. I had to do some homework to learn more about how to tell if you found a CBD or Hemp Oil scam.

If you’ve heard any of Mary Carter’s (Mary Carter is my wife and she’s the founder of Hemp Oil Rockstar and Carolina Hemp Hut stores), then you may know that the primary reason she dove into the CBD world is because she was worried that my cancer would return. A little less than two years ago, Mary got me going with CBD Oil from a vendor recommended by an acquaintance. This new oil was very expensive (about $130 for less than a month’s usage).

I was filling in time while watching a show with my wife. My iPad was in my lap and I was cruising the web in search of CBD for cheap. I found site that had all of the requisite language and pretty pictures. Star Trial CBD was calling me. It was late in the evening and to my benefit, I wasn’t supposed to be buying anything. I didn’t have my reading glasses on. With the Common Sense angel sitting on my shoulder coaching me, I shouldn’t have even considered looking at the ad for this CBD oil.

But, I did.

The Real Deal with CBD Trial Offers

The CBD Oil which you can buy from Carolina Hemp Hut, Hemp Oil Rockstar, Charlotte’s Web and others is going to come from reputable farms, reputable refiners and from reputable retailers. SOME of the CBD that comes from some shops, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

CBD scam for a free trial makes you ask questions

Some retailers have CBD in a concentrated form called Isolate (white or close to white powder that blends well with oils). They take this relatively strong isolate and blend the CBD with various calculated amounts of things like MCT (think, cleaned up coconut oil), sunflower seed oil, olive oil or another carrier oil. This process is normal. Again, the reputable vendors will make sure that their oil sold matches the strength and the content (very few shady providers will “water down” by not including as much CBD or the full spectrum distillate so the result is considerably less than the stated strength).

The Star brand of CBD Oil is from an isolate. It’s also very weak (100 mg of CBD only in 1 oz). This means it is pretty much just with carrier oils Thus, the 1 oz bottle that they package this oil within is really a 1 oz bottle of carrier oil with a small amount of CBD isolate. Gimmicky advertising and names like “Hemp Pure” or “Pure CBD” are therefore a bit misleading. It’s not pure CBD Oil. 

The Trial Offer programs will sign you up to a “buying club” of sorts with your trial offer. The prices of the various scamming offers on the web do vary, but they’re typically around $5.00 a bottle.

Along comes the Spider

“Wow, CBD Oil for only $4.95?!” Yes, you can bet I was excited. With my addled view (recall that I didn’t have my reading glasses on – so, screw the fine print) I could clearly see I get a bottle of CBD oil in a free bottle to try out. Well, I needed CBD oil – so SIGN ME UP!

Big mistake.

Simple Steps to spotting a CBD Scam

  1. Look for Attractive Character. Is it a “Lab Coat Cutie”? Here’s one now.
  2. Look for Terms and Conditions. READ these. Absolutely. Here’s a sample of the hidden scam text:

    CBD Scam Free Trial Offer: Carolina Hemp Hut helps you avoid the scam - Click to Open

  3. Look for unlinked review links and fake testimonials.
    We see these a lot. Web Sites with reviews that have no linkable attributes or sites which back the integrity of the reviews are going to be questionable from the start. After all, you shouldn’t have to make up reviews – You should earn them.
    Fake Facebook reviews in CBD Scam
Lab Coat Cutie CBD Scam,
Shark Tank CBD Scam
Any CBD ad featuring the Shark Tank is Very SUSPECT!

All of the above clues should be clear to you after reading this article. We’re keen on helping people STOP GETTING RIPPED OFF by slimy hidden operations selling anything – especially CBD which we work hard to offer as a very reliable vendor. Be a smart consumer. Do your research and even CALL the Vendor. If you cannot call them, email them. If you can’t have a conversation with them via phone or email, don’t buy from them if you are in doubt. This alone is a good policy to keep you safer than ever. Keep in mind it is tougher to get your money back from a unsavory web commerce operation than most expect.

When Free Isn’t Free

I received the product that they had specified. However, it wasn’t in a fancy cardboard box like it was in the photos on the web site. I did not let the packaging difference anger me.

The product was the 100mg bottle of CBD oil. Just the bottle. I slid the bottle back into it’s padded envelope and tossed it aside – I had lots of work to do and the bottle was not a priority.

A couple of weeks later, as I finally had some spare time, I opened the package again and read the bottle of CBD oil. It dawned on me that it was only 100 mg when I bought it. But, I figured that $5 was worth it. The $5 wasn’t all though.

My credit card statement revealed that I was charged for the shipping and handling fee of $4.95. I also was charged a few days later for a “membership fee”. Uh, what?

Credit Card Statement with High cost CBD "free trial"

To add insult to injury, I receive a second bottle of 100mg oil and a shocking charge of nearly $100 on my Credit Card statement. This drove me to action.

I ended up taking care of the transaction and canceling everything with the “staff” at this company (it was Star brand, but the call center sounds like a sweatshop filled with people taking complaint calls).

This mail order company had a clever trial gimmick which captured people within a “club” which has a monthly fee and the product cost which was exorbitant.

I learned from this experience. Now I carefully read the terms and conditions of all “memberships” and order fine print. I grab my reading glasses when I see something that’s “too good to be true.” Since it’s often too good to be true, I am safer being more of a stickler to the details.

If you’d like a list of Scam centered Trial Basis companies, let me know in the comments and I will get the list emailed to you. I keep making additions to the list – this way more people are aware.

Read about the Brighten CBD, Star, et al. Scam posts

This consumer was ripped off from AOH Health for $100+ : https://reportscam.com/844-280-9866

Another person, scammed by the “free trial offer” hidden language by AOH Health and Star CBD: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/aoh-health/pewaukee-wisconsin-53072/aoh-health-complete-fraud-unauthorized-charges-pewaukee-wisconsin-1419521

Here the Ripoff Reports continue with More scamming from the CBD Isolate Free Trial offer (100mg of CBD isolate for $100! That’s NUTS!)

When we check the provided address for AOH, this is all we’ve found: https://www.spokeo.com/WI/Pewaukee/1405-Capitol-Dr/C

We discovered that this is a UPS Mailing location. Hmm. This means that Brighten CBD, Star and so many others who are scamming everyone with subpar CBD at exorbitant price levels and trial offer gimmicks are operating out of a UPS Store location. Yep, go into the UPS (Private Mail Box) location and ask for the head honcho of Star CBD and they will stare at you like you have two heads.

We went through the web and researched further into the sites run buy the crooks at AOH health.

https:// starcbd.net/

http:// starcbd.org/

https:// starcbdoil.com/

https://healthfactsjournal.com/ pure-cbd-oil-free-trial/

Notice the “Attractive Character” with blue stethoscope in many of the Scam sites (note, they change the color of the stethoscope in many of the images and switch the position of the character).

https://healthylivinglifefacts.com /pure-cbd-free-trial-cannabidiol/

https://purecbds. net/

https://h ealthfactsreport.com/pure-cbd-free-trial-cannabidiol/

https://h ealthyproductsjournal.com/CBD-Oil-Natural-Medicine-For-Almost-Anything.php

https://w ww.easybodyfit.com/pure-cbd-oil-trial/

https://pu recbds.org/

https://d iets-usa.com/cbd-pure-hemp-oil-reviews/

We tracked down Pure CBD at the following mail box:

  • Pure CBD Oil
    3933 E 29th St, Suite #506
    Tucson , Arizona
    USA
  • Phone: 888-821-2821

More Scam Reports from ThermoBurn Club – sellers of Spurious CBD Products: https://reportscam.com/thermoburnclubcom

The “thermo burn club” address is a Mail Box (Corporate Mail Forwarding) in Las Vegas:

  • Diet Supplements-ENSS 
    3960 Howard Hughes Pwky Ste 500
    Las Vegas, NV.
    United States

This tells us that the company isn’t really “there”. They get their complaint mail there, but nobody is in an office there.

 

Download this useful reference Guide to help avoid CBD scammers

Infographic to help you avoid scams online and with CBD

A Partial List of Scam Offers for CBD Oil. Please, tell your friends that these sites are operated by slimy individuals who are using CBD to take money from people dishonestly using all sorts of tricky methods instead of being straight up and honest.

  • Pure CBD
  • True CBD
  • Miracle CBD
  • Sky CBD
  • Assure CBD
  • Divine CBD
  • Pure Med CBD
  • Organix CBD
  • Isolate Direct CBD
  • CBD XRP
  • Optimal Choice CBD
  • Zen Labs CBD
  • Star CBD
  • Serene CBD
  • Serenity CBD
CBD Scams pop up quickly and disappear quickly

We want to Help You Save Money!

Well, it's pretty much obvious that there are plenty of shady characters in this world. You can find vendors who will fine print you with details that are important. At the Carolina Hemp Hut, we don't do that. Everything is above board and out in the open. If you speak with one of our consultants on the phone, they will give you the real deal with no shenannigans.

Added, 10/09/2022:

We have been monitoring the Scammers across the CBD and Hemp marketplace still and here are some key aspects of our findings. You may want to take note of these and tell your friends.

  • The Majority of “Reviews” you may find on a typical search engine results page are placed there by affiliate marketers and scammers. Be careful if the title of the article you click is similar to “The 10 best CBD gummies” or similar. When you do visit these links, be sure to use the simple techniques we provide (like lab coat cutie) to steer clear of the scammers.
  • More Indian (from India, the country) web sites are providing affiliate linking to shady CBD brands that are shipping out of warehouses in the US. The quality of the products in these is suspect as there is Zero information on Certificates of Analysis or similar on the websites or on the order pages. Further, there is no way to contact them, you have no real recourse if your “All Natural CBD Gummies” or “Eagle Brand CBD gummies” turn out to be just gummies with zero CBD.
  • Ongoing CBD Scam: Anything with Jamie Richardson and the Shark Tank crew is going to be a scam site. Shark Tank is reliable but they have NEVER had a CBD brand pitched on the show. If you see text similar to this, you know what to do (run):
    “(SPECIAL REPORT) – Jamie Richardson from Dallas Texas just netted one of the biggest deals in Shark Tank history.

    A retired doctor who experienced nonstop agony discovers a novel treatment for chronic pain, inflammation, arthritis, and muscle spasm. Sounds too good to be true?”

Always be wary if the site claims that their CBD products cures anything or is a treatment for pain, arthritis, insomnia, etc. While the end-result may be true, a CBD or hemp manufacturer or retailer who is LEGIT will NOT make a claim. Only scammers make such blatant claims of health.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A free trial offer scam tricks you into signing up for a trial product, often CBD, and then charges you hidden fees or enrolls you in an unwanted subscription.

Look for suspiciously low prices, fake reviews, and hidden terms and conditions. Always read the fine print and check for reliable contact information.

Many free trial offers enroll you in costly subscriptions without clear notice, leading to unexpected charges on your credit card.

Contact your bank to dispute the charges, cancel subscriptions, and report the scam to consumer protection agencies.

Yes, buy from reputable retailers like Carolina Hemp Hut and Charlotte’s Web, which provide lab-tested products and transparent policies.

Scammers use hidden fees to make money after you sign up for a “free” trial, often without your knowledge.

Yes, do your research, read reviews from trustworthy sources, and avoid deals that seem too good to be true.

Risks include unexpected charges, receiving low-quality products, and difficulty getting refunds or canceling subscriptions.

Picture of David Pratt Carter

David Pratt Carter

David is a Cancer fighter and advocate for healthy living. He's a continued survivor of significant health challenges and credits cannabis, cuisine and positive thinking with his continued health successes David is an avid researcher of all things hemp and cannabis. He's written numerous guest articles and continues to provide articles for Carolina Hemp Hut, NYC CBD Source and other retail and educational hemp web sites. David can be reached for public-speaking events and Zoom presentations via the Carolina Hemp Hut "contact" page.
Picture of David Pratt Carter

David Pratt Carter

David is a Cancer fighter and advocate for healthy living. He's a continued survivor of significant health challenges and credits cannabis, cuisine and positive thinking with his continued health successes David is an avid researcher of all things hemp and cannabis. He's written numerous guest articles and continues to provide articles for Carolina Hemp Hut, NYC CBD Source and other retail and educational hemp web sites. David can be reached for public-speaking events and Zoom presentations via the Carolina Hemp Hut "contact" page.
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