RrealtyTrac company's pitch leads to unexpected bill

David Lazarus:

Maria Casanova, an assistant professor of economics at UCLA, toyed with the idea earlier this year of buying a foreclosed property near the Westwood campus. She signed up for a prominent listing service called RealtyTrac.

Casanova, 31, canceled her subscription not long after. Yet a few days ago she discovered that some other real estate company she'd never heard of has been billing her almost $45 a month for the last eight months.

Consumer advocates say it's an all-too-common problem: People signing up for one thing online and inadvertently signing up for something else that comes with recurring monthly charges.

"It's a practice we're seeing more and more online," said John Breyault, vice president of public policy for the National Consumers League. "People need to be very wary any time they sign up for a service."