A new warning from consumer champion Which? reveals that millions of UK adults are falling victim to 'subscription traps' hidden within online advertisements. These deceptive tactics often involve enticing consumers with offers of 'free' trials or a nominal fee, only to lock them into expensive recurring payments for services they neither want nor use. This issue consistently tops reports to the Which? scam sharer tool, with a National Trading Standards survey in October 2025 estimating that over 20 million UK adults have signed up to a subscription without their full knowledge.
Unlike well-known services such as Netflix or Spotify, these problematic subscriptions typically originate from online businesses that heavily advertise on social media platforms. Which? highlights how these companies often present seemingly innocuous offers, such as a low initial payment of around £1, which then escalates into significant weekly or monthly charges for questionable services. The lack of transparency surrounding these recurring payments is a key concern for consumers.
One prominent example reported to Which? involves online personality tests, specifically naming MyIQ, a self-described 'cognitive development platform'. In the first three months of 2026, Which? received 32 reports concerning unwanted IQ test subscriptions, many of which implicated MyIQ for allegedly setting up recurring card payments without explicit consent. While MyIQ denies deliberately hiding pricing information or charging customers without authorisation, consumer accounts suggest otherwise.
For instance, Dennis and Yvonne clicked on a Facebook advert for MyIQ, expecting to pay a small fee for their IQ results. They were subsequently outraged to discover two 50p charges and a planned monthly charge of £29.99 for access to further quizzes they did not desire. Similarly, Michael discovered 31 payments totalling approximately £464 taken from his account over nearly seven months after trying MyIQ in July 2025, having only noticed a pending £14.99 payment the following February. All three consumers eventually received refunds after complaining to MyIQ.
Which? found that MyIQ advertised on platforms like Facebook, Bing, Google, Instagram, and YouTube, often without clear mention of recurring fees. When investigating, Which? discovered that details of the £29.99 monthly fee were only visible by scrolling to the very bottom of the webpage on a mobile phone. Even more deceptively, selecting the 'Get My IQ Score Now' button used a 'jump link' to instantly move the user past the crucial pricing information directly to payment options, only stating a £1 charge without clarifying it was for a seven-day trial before the monthly fee commenced. Following Which?'s intervention and sharing of video evidence, MyIQ stated it had 'identified scope' to improve its pricing display, and subsequent checks showed the pricing in a more prominent position.
Compounding the issue, a casual glance at MyIQ.com's Trustpilot reviews shows a 'Great' score of 4.2 based on over 121,000 reviews. However, a closer inspection reveals that while 63% gave five stars, many of the 13% who gave one star explicitly complained about unknowingly being charged monthly, often accusing the company of being a scam. Which? also noted Trustpilot profiles for non-existent websites, my-iq.com and myiq.co.uk, which contained numerous one-star reviews describing similar unwanted MyIQ subscriptions, using strong terms like 'scam' and 'dishonest'. MyIQ.com stated it has no affiliation with these other profiles.