The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be wary of pervasive online ads offering the promise of a whiter, brighter smile.

BBB has received a recent onslaught of complaints from consumers who thought they were signing up for a free trial of teeth-whitening products but were repeatedly billed for products and services they didn't want.

The websites for teeth-whitening products claim to offer a no-risk free trial of the product. To sign up, customers must provide a credit- or debit-card number to cover shipping.

Complainants to BBB state that customers are billed before their trial ends and continue to be billed after they have told the company they want to cancel. Complainants have also found mystery charges from other companies and for services that they didn't realize they were signing up for with their ``free'' trial.

BBB has identified several companies that are behind the teeth-whitening ads and websites online including: Dazzle White, White Smile, Teeth Smile and Dazzle Smile, Ivory White, Max White, My Whitening, Gleaming White Smile, and others.

BBB offers the following advice to consumers on purchasing teeth-whitening products online:

• Beware of supposed third-party endorsements. Be cautious of any ad that links to a blog or website news articles.

• Always read the fine print. Many websites offering a free trial of a teeth-whitening product do not disclose the billing terms and conditions or do not have such details prominently displayed.

• Check the company out with your BBB first. Before signing up for any free trial, review the business's Reliability Report online at www.bbb.org.

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