One Lookup, Repeated Charges: How to Cancel and Stop the Trap

Short answer: A small one-off lookup can turn into monthly charges when the page quietly signs you up for a membership that renews. Stop the renewal first, in the site's account settings or by written request. Then write to your bank to dispute the charges you did not agree to. Before you pay again, find the cancel page and read the renewal line.

How the trap usually works

It often starts small. You pay a little to see one report or result, and it feels like a single purchase. But somewhere on the payment page there is a line about a trial or a membership that renews. A few days or weeks later, the charge comes back, sometimes with a company name you do not recognise on your statement.

Watch for these warning signs:

• A small first payment with words like 'trial', 'then', 'per month' or 'auto-renew' in tiny print.
• A cancel option that only appears after you log in, or that is hard to find at all.
• A confirmation email you did not notice, or that went to spam.
• Your card details saved on the site for 'faster checkout'.

Step 1: Stop the next charge

1. Search your email for the site's name, plus words like 'receipt', 'subscription', 'renewal' or 'membership'. The first email usually shows the amount, the date and the order number.
2. Log in and open the billing or membership page. Cancel the plan and turn off auto-renewal. Take a screenshot of the page that confirms it.
3. If you cannot log in, send a short written cancellation to the support email shown on the site. Say which order it is and ask them to stop all future charges.
4. Keep everything: the receipts, the screenshots, the dates and the order number. You will need them for your bank.

TrustCheck cannot cancel a subscription or reverse a card charge for you. Only the company and your bank can do that.

Step 2: What to tell your bank

Call the number on the back of your card, or use your bank's app or branch, and ask to dispute the transactions. Keep it simple and factual. You can say something like this:

I paid [amount] on [date] for a one-time lookup. I did not agree to monthly charges. I asked the company to cancel on [date], and charges continued on [dates]. Please dispute these transactions.

Ask for a dispute or case reference number and write it down. Ask what papers they need from you, and send them promptly. Whether you get money back depends on your bank's rules and the card network's rules. A person at the bank makes that decision, and nobody can promise the outcome in advance.

Your bank will never need your PIN or your one-time code to take a dispute. If anyone asks for them, even someone who says they are from the bank, do not share them. Hang up and call the official number on your card.

Step 3: Spot the trap before you pay next time

• Read the box before you click pay. Look for the word 'trial', a date, or a monthly amount.
• Find the cancel page before you pay. If you cannot find out how to cancel, do not pay.
• Use a card you do not use for everything, or a payment method with a lower limit, for small one-off checks.
• If your bank app lets you turn online card payments on and off, turn them on only when you need to pay.
• Check the site before you pay. Use check a number, handle or website to see reports from other people and any official warnings that name it.
• If a payment message looks strange, paste it into is this MoMo message real? so you can see its warning signs.

Check for official warnings and report a site

Regulators and the police sometimes publish warnings about scam sites and billing traps. Look at Scam Watch for official alerts from Ghanaian newsrooms and official sources. If a site trapped you, you can tell us at report a scammer. Every report is checked by a person before it is published, so please describe what happened clearly and include the date and amount you were charged, but leave out card numbers and PINs.

When to get more help

If you did not authorise the charges, or the company refuses to stop them, tell your bank first and keep your dispute reference. If you have lost money to a scam, you can also report it to the Ghana Police Cybercrime Unit. For guidance on money lost to online fraud, the Cyber Security Authority can be reached on 292. Read more guides on the TrustCheck blog.