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90-Day "Free Golf Club Test"

Someone is making a nice living on this perennial scam, relieving avid golfers of hard-earned bucks that could have bought several rounds in the club house.

The names keep changing but the pitch is always the same -- try out a brand-new set of high-tech golf clubs for 90 days. All you have to do is put the full price of the clubs on your credit card as a "deposit." Then, if at the end of the 90 days you're not completely satisfied, you return the clubs, get your money back and owe nothing.

There's only one problem -- at the end of 90 days, you send back the clubs but your money has mysteriously disappeared into the rough. Complain to the credit-card company, you say? Ah, but disputes must be filed within 60 days of the purchase and since the amount was charged to your card 90 days ago ... you're out of luck.

The cads behind this little scam keep moving around and changing their company name so the likelihood they'll be caught is relatively slim. The only way to hang onto your money is to do just that -- hang onto your money just as though it were your favorite nine iron.

Here are a few of the more recent incarnations:

• Advanced Golf Design
• Limited Edition Sports
• Professional Golf Products
• RA Sports, Inc.

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