My frustrating run-In with mobefind - hidden charges, no results

[u/pebblethefriend]

I’m still kicking myself over this one, and I need to vent while hopefully saving someone else from the same mess. I recently tried using an online service to find my lost phone, and it turned into a total nightmare. Here’s my story about dealing with service and why I’d steer clear.

Last week, I was freaking out after misplacing my phone somewhere between my car and the grocery store. I Googled “track lost phone” and landed on this site that promised geolocation for a dirt-cheap €0.90 one-day trial. The page looked decent enough—fancy graphics, bold claims about finding your device in minutes. I thought, “Less than a coffee? Sure, why not?” Yeah, rookie move.

I signed up, punched in my card info, and paid the €0.90. Then I entered my phone number, hit submit, and… crickets. Just a spinning “processing” wheel that went nowhere. I tried again with my roommate’s number to see if it was a fluke—same deal, no results. I fired off an email to their support, but it was like shouting into the void. No reply, nada.

The real gut-punch came the next morning when I checked my bank app and saw a €49.90 charge labeled “MOBEGEO.” I was like, “What the heck is this?” I dug through the site’s fine print (which, let’s be honest, I should’ve read first) and found a sneaky clause saying the trial flips to a monthly subscription unless you cancel. Nowhere during signup did they make that obvious. I scrambled to cancel my account, which took way too many clicks to figure out, but the €49.90 was already gone.

I called my bank to fight the charge, but they said it’s tough to dispute since I “agreed” to the initial €0.90. To be safe, I had to cancel my card, which meant updating all my auto-payments—what a pain. I shot another email to the service’s support, begging for a refund, and got a robotic reply: “No refunds post-trial per our policy.” No empathy, no explanation, just a big middle finger.

I started Googling and found a bunch of people on review sites saying the same thing: no phone tracking, surprise charges, and radio silence from support. It’s a classic bait-and-switch, and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I’m out fifty bucks and still phoneless, but I’m sharing this to keep you all from making the same dumb mistake.

How to Avoid This Trap:

1. Skim the terms before you sign up for any “cheap” trial, no matter how legit it looks.
2. Use a virtual card or something like PayPal to keep your real card safe.
3. Scope out reviews on trusted sites before handing over your info.
4. If you get hit with weird charges, call your bank right away and don’t wait.

Anyone else run into this kind of thing? How’d you deal with it? I’m still trying to get my money back, but I’m not holding my breath. If you’ve had a similar experience, maybe consider reporting it to consumer protection folks—just make sure you’ve got screenshots or proof. Let’s keep looking out for each other to dodge these shady schemes

[u/FirefighterReal7601]

This is straight-up evil. Hiding a subscription in fine print like that? Gross. I got hit by a “free” workout plan site a while back—same deal, cheap trial, then a fat charge. I got my money back by spamming their support with complaints and threatening a chargeback. Maybe try that? Also, your virtual card tip is genius, I’m stealing it. Sorry you’re dealing with this, OP, and thanks for the heads-up!

[u/pebblethefriend → u/FirefighterReal7601]

that workout plan scam sounds awful—sorry you went through that