The Top VPN Scams To Look Out For in 2024

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Author: Jomathews Verosilove on Feb 07,2024

 

It can be hard to tell which VPN providers are legitimate anymore, with hundreds of options available. Every day, there seem to be new ones popping up, and they are likely to be VPN scams.

The number of them is quite high, unfortunately. In our research, we found out what people often complain about and the call scams when using VPNs. To provide you with useful tips, we've researched the scams you should avoid, and we've answered questions related to them.

 

Third-Party Sellers

You are tempted to purchase a VPN from a third-party seller by a website that tries to convince you to do so. A VPN subscription can also be sold on platforms like eBay by independent merchants. In this case, it is difficult to tell whether the subscriptions are legitimate or if the VPN provider endorses them. This offer claims to be offered for just $12 for a three-year NordVPN account. In case the link redirects you to another offer, the scammer probably changed the beginning offer, so we took a screenshot to make sure we weren't getting caught in the scam.

There are, of course, some third-party sellers who aren't scammers. A VPN provider might give permission to some websites to sell subscriptions through their platform. You can find that information on the provider's blog or newsletter. If you have any questions, you can ask them. While you should still subscribe to the VPN through its official website, we recommend doing so.

 

Lifetime Subscriptions

Essentially, a lifetime subscription is a one-time payment made (like $50-$100 or less) and a VPN for life. Generally, the VPN provider sells the lifetime account directly through their website, or it is sold to third parties on their behalf. How good does that sound?

The reason for that is that it usually is. You're looking at an unsustainable business model if a VPN service offers lifetime access deals constantly. It costs a lot of money to run a VPN, after all - just renting a good 1Gbps server will typically cost more than $1,000 a month. Additionally, their staff must be paid. Their future recurring revenue will be nonexistent with lifetime accounts.

In addition, some VPNs take advantage of lifetime accounts to make a quick buck, and then they shut down. A VPN company apparently did this. A lifetime account was offered for only $13 - nonrefundable, of course. It is likely that they will begin their next scam once they have racked in enough money before shutting down the company.

After you pay for lifetime VPN services, people who run scams revoke your "lifetime" privilege instead of taking your money. Some users experienced the same thing. Initially charged for a lifetime account, but after two years, they were converted to a premium subscription with recurring invoices.

 

Dead VPNs

Despite being discontinued, these VPN services continue to operate on their websites. However, you can still buy the service even though it does not work anymore.

Some websites are still running despite the service being closed. A complete marketing copy is available, and the checkout process works as well. Some review sites still have active links to subscriptions, so if you google them, you can still find online deals.

Nevertheless, customers complain that the servers aren't working anymore, and there is no response to support tickets that can be accessed. Therefore, the service is likely to shut down quietly. What's the point of coming clean if money keeps rolling in?

You could say goodbye to that money if you subscribe to a dead VPN. No VPN service will be provided, and no refunds will be processed. In addition, your payment details will be stored on an unsecured website.

 

Free VPN Scams

It's also likely that free VPNs will harm your privacy in other ways, even if they don't expose you to malware. It is hard to believe that a VPN can truly be free, after all. As a result, the service's network of servers and its staff must somehow earn a living.

Profits are made by them. Ultimately, it's you who becomes the product, not the VPN. In the event that you fall victim to a free VPN scam, you can experience the following:

  • Your computer might become a part of a botnet if the service sold your bandwidth.
  • Your data and usage can be monitored by VPNs and sold to advertisers through tracking libraries.
  • You won't be able to protect your privacy with the VPNs - either because the developers did not configure the service well or the VPN does not use encryption in the first place.
  • Your browser will be redirected to eCommerce websites affiliated with the VPN provider or bombarded with annoying ads (which might be malicious).
  • However, there are exceptions to the rule, as there are lifetime VPN scams. Despite the popularity of free VPNs, not all are malicious, scammy, or shady. Some of these services are actually quite decent, and their business model works because they offer a separate paid service in addition to their free service. You can find a free VPN that you can trust in our guide if you need help finding one.

 

Conclusion

Now that top VPN scams have become more common, there's a chance you will encounter them. Due to the booming VPN market, more VPN services are expected to appear in the near future. It is also likely that scammers will take advantage of the high demand for VPNs to make a quick profit. In fact, you can keep your money and your sanity safe if you don't listen to star ratings, ads, or pushy sales messages. Have you heard of any other VPN scams? If you have any suggestions for what else people should do to avoid them, please share them with us.