I tried to cancel. They made it impossible.

A fitness app promised a free trial if I covered shipping with my card. The fine print buried an annual renewal that hit my statement like a second gym membership I never chose.

The cancel button looped to a dead support form, and emails bounced. I screenshot every attempt while the charge repeated. My bank fought a chargeback; the merchant returned fake logs claiming I had clicked agree to the annual plan.

Subscription traps lean on dark patterns—hidden terms, broken cancel flows, shell companies. Regulator complaints eventually won a partial refund, but the hours on hold cost more than the cash.

I skimmed terms like everyone else and told myself a fitness brand would play fair because wellness sounds wholesome.

WHOIS tied the domain to the same shell company running two other trial scams reviewers had flagged. Seeing the same corporate address on three scammy apps was when I knew this was a business model, not a glitch.

Dispute calls ate evenings I wanted for anything else. The anger lingered longer than the line items.

I use virtual card numbers with low limits for trials and calendar alerts the day before renewals. I wish app stores policed cancel flows harder.

• Screenshot cancel attempts for disputes; report to consumer protection.

For more help, see our Report a scam page and Spot and avoid scams guide.