Use caution when signing up for membership! You may be directed to a subscription page on another site without knowing it - the "Start" button can be foreign ad

Cross-border Consumer center Japan (CCJ)^* in the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (NCAC) has received numerous inquiries about subscription-related problems. The consumers entered into a subscription contract with a foreign company without knowing it after clicking a button "Start", "OK", "Watch now" or the like.

All of these buttons are foreign advertisements, but the consumers did not realize it and clicked the button misunderstanding it as one on a Japanese site they intended to use. After entering credit card data, etc., they entered into a contract with a foreign company without knowing it.

A button "Start", etc. can be shown when: signing up for membership provided by a Japanese company; accessing a two-dimensional code for membership registration; or downloading an application.

When a button "Start", etc. is shown as in signing up for membership or accessing a two-dimensional code, it is necessary to confirm if it is an advertisement. NCAC would like to share trouble cases and issue an alert to prevent consumers from entering into a contract with an unintended foreign company.

1. ^* CCJ provides an online consultation service for consumers who have experienced trouble in dealing with a business outside Japan.

Sample Cases

[Case 1]

I intended to sign up for a Japanese online storage service. Later I received a registration confirmation email from an unknown foreign company, which made me notice that I had signed up for a subscription contract without knowing it. I want to cancel the subscription.

[Case 2]

I intended to update my member's card and clicked a button "Start". Then suddenly a contract was shown on the screen and I noticed that I had registered with a foreign site. I don't have contact information of the foreign company.

Problems highlighted by the sampling of cases

• A consumer is directed to a subscription page without knowing that the button is an advertisement.
• A consumer enters credit card data without knowing the counterparty name and contract details.
• The "final confirmation page" may not have been displayed by the counterparty.
• Even after noticing an unintended contract, a consumer doesn't have any information on the counterparty and it's hard to get contact information.

Advice for consumers

• When a button "Start", etc. is shown on the screen, check if it is an advertisement.
• Check if you have received a registration confirmation email. Look at credit card bills frequently.
• If you don't know how to contact your counterparty or if you feel uneasy, consult your local consumer affairs center right away.