Page 16 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 10, 2022 BBB Scam Alert: How to spot a phony discount when buying CBD online C annabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient of cannabis, is now legal in many US states and Canadian provinces. If you want to try it, watch out for scams. BBB Scam Tracker received dozens of reports from frustrated consumers who thought they bought discounted CBD online but ended up with hundreds of dollars in credit card charges. How the scam works: You see an ad for CBD on social media or in an online search. A company is offering new customers a significant discount on CBD gummies. For example, one common scam offers a buy-one-getone free deal. In some cases, the product seems to be endorsed by a celebrity. For example, recent Scam Tracker reports mention TV show Shark Tank, actor Kevin Costner, actress Mayim Bialik, and journalist Katie Couric. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, if you order the discounted gummies, the scammers now have your credit card number. Victims report being charged for extra bottles or on-going monthly subscriptions that they never agreed to. Other victims report being charged random amounts for products they never received. Once scammers have your credit card information, cancelling is not easy! Consumers report that scammers used numerous excuses to avoid issuing refunds. They claimed everything from trouble with the computer system to it being outside the cancellation window. Many victims also told Scam Tracker that the charges continued even after they cancelled their subscription. One victim reported getting threatening calls posing as the CBD company’s collections department nearly a year after cancelling their order. “Today, I received a 2nd phone call saying I was in collections with them, that I should have read the small print and that I had to cancel within 2 weeks of initial response or I was on the hook. They told me it was the ‘escalation department,’ and that I owed them money. The woman was extremely rude and aggressive, continued to speak over me, and threatening. I have never heard from this company by email or mail since I initially responded more than a year ago - no additional product has been received either.” Tips for avoiding this scam: • Research the company online. See what other people are saying about the company’s free trials. Complaints from other customers can tip you off to “catches” that might come with the trial. Check the business's BBB Rating and see if there are any alerts. • Understand what happens after the free trial ends. Always read the terms of the offer before signing up. Numerous victims of the CBD free trial con reported not ever seeing the terms and conditions. This is a huge red flag. If you can’t find them or can’t understand what you’re agreeing to, don’t sign up. • Be skeptical of celebrity endorsements. Resist being swayed by the use of a wellknown name. Scammers often fake celebrity endorsements. • Report losses to credit card companies. If you pay with a credit card, you can dispute fraudulent charges. Keep an eye on your monthly statements and notify your credit card company of any suspicious charges. For more information: Read BBB’s special report on free trial offer scams. Learn more about scams on social media advertising. Stay one step ahead of scammers by subscribing to BBB's weekly Scam Alert emails. If you’ve been a victim of free trial offer scam, please report your experience at BBB.org/ScamTracker. By doing so you can help others to avoid falling prey to scammers. Mystic Valley girls’ lacrosse team beats Abington in Round 1 of State Tourney Special to The Advocate O n Tuesday evening at the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School’s Eastern Avenue field, after finishing out the regular season at 117, the Mystic Valley Eagles girl’s lacrosse team gained a home game in the MIAA State Tournament and made the most of it, defeating a very good Abington Team, 9-8, in a hard-fought battle. The young Mystic Valley team came out strong with a goal from Lucia Antonucci in the first 10 secSTUDENT | FROM PAGE 1 we showed up late, through the morning announcements we fazed out, and through the countless lectures we almost dozed off in, we can say that we will not be doing this again. We are off into a new world, whether we are going to college, trade school, the workforce, military, or sleep, I just know that this class will be doing great things in the future. After today we will be entering the real world equipped with all the knowledge gained in high school. Tasks such as calculating the hypotenuse distance between your house and your bestie’s house, balancing the chemical equation when mixing salt and water, and identifying rhetorical strategies in text messages, you know, things adults do all the time on a daily basis, will become a piece of cake for us. Not to mention more upsides after graduation. No more walking around the entire school just to pee. No more trash cans being lit on fire. No more waiting for the underclassmen to stop blocking the middle of the hallway. And, hopefully, no more 5-minute lunches because the lines for sandwiches are always packed. As I stand here today, I want to give some words of advice, words that we can all carry with us in our future endeavors. Being named the onds of the game. The backand-forth game remained close throughout the day. Mystic Valley’s defense shined, especially play from Goalie Danni Hughes, who rallied her defense coming out of the net to meet a fierce Abington attack several times during the day. The offense was strong and balanced, not allowing Abington the ability to key on any one player as midfielders Antonucci, Mya Brutus and Ilona Beacom-Domotor each put the ball in the net three times. valedictorian means more than just having the highest GPA or earning the title. As a first-generation, low-income student from an immigrant family, being named the valedictorian means that I can rise above any situation through hard work and determination. Most of us are not born with a silver spoon in our mouths. Whether we are from a minority background or low-income household, we, in our caps and gowns, have proven to the world that we can also be so accomplished. Our identity is not a barrier to success but a launching pad that will only make us continuously push ourselves to improve, give back to our community, and make our parents proud. While I cannot stand up here and tell you how to succeed, I can stand up here and tell you that you should not let obstacles stop you from doing the very things you want to do. Me standing up here is evidence that anybody can do anything. Every single one of us had unique trials and tribulations that we had to overcome in order to be here today. We had the resilience, determination, and courage to advance in the face of adversity. With this in mind, I challenge all of you to continuously embrace those tremendous qualities as you start a new chapter in your life. As we soon depart from this stadium, I ask you all to look “I’m really proud of how the girls worked through the highs and lows of the game. We spent the last few weeks of the season talking about effort and resiliency and we saw that today,” said Head Coach Ali Jordan. “Our midfielders have really shined this year and have been essential to our success … We are looking forward to our next game, but also the future with such a young team.” Up next for Mystic Valley in the tourney is a strong second-seeded Sandwich team. around and acknowledge the special people that have inspired you to do so much and helped you become who you are today. Appreciate those teachers who let you live in their rooms literally 24/7. Appreciate your friends for spilling tea with you and giving you absurd relationship advice. Appreciate your parents for their unconditional love and support since day one. 在今天这么重要的日子 里，我想对在场的每一位父 母说，您们辛苦了。您们的 孩子已经长大了，已经准备 好步入社会了。然后我要感 谢我的父母，爸爸妈妈，谢 谢您们一直以来的支持和厚 爱。 Most importantly, appreciate Mayor Christenson and the City for working tirelessly to support our community. Because of their hard work, every graduating student from Malden High this year, who is attending college, will be receiving a $1000 scholarship. Before I forget, everyone look up. 1, 2, 3, smile! Gotta do it for the gram. Appreciate it y’all! Today is about us wearing blue and gold proudly for one last time, walking across this stage, feeling nothing but satisfaction, and celebrating all of our hard work with our loved ones. I am proud of you all. Your teachers are proud of you. And your friends and family are proud of you. Congratulations Class of 22 and go Golden Tornados! Thank you!
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