It’s so simple – and soooo seductive – to sign up for offers touting cheap “teaser” rates.

You know what I mean: Just $10 for a gym membership for three months. Or a free trial period from retail-order conglomerates. Online news websites are fond of introductory fees of, say, $1 for six months.

The problem comes when the trial period ends.

Consumers often don’t track or remember the date when the discounted rate ceases. Their credit cards automatically get billed with the higher fees. The densely laden “terms and conditions” section they clicked on earlier may explain how tough it is to cancel – but who reads all that lengthy gibberish?

Fortunately, a new Virginia law that took effect July 1 forces companies – if you sign up for a 30-day free trial – to inform you about cancellation options before they actually ding your credit cards, Axios reported.

Del. Michelle Lopes Maldonado, D-Prince William, sponsored the bill that got overwhelming support in both chambers this year. Gov. Glenn Youngkin then signed it into law.

“It’s a ‘gotcha moment’” when subscriptions automatically renew, Maldonado told me.

“It’s not just individuals who get caught up in this. Small businesses might have licensing agreements” that are similarly onerous, she said, adding that the legislation is part of her ongoing consumer protection efforts.

Raheel Sheikh, a Northern Virginia businessman, reached out to Maldonado after receiving costly automatic renewal charges from a website maintenance firm. 

“The legislation puts some responsibility on the vendors,” he said. “All the responsibility was on the consumers.”

The Virginia Mercury noted last month the commonwealth is one of several states that have enacted similar measures. The laws give more protection to people previously flummoxed by abruptly rising automatic charges.

Many of us – with jobs, children to feed and busy lifestyles – simply lose track of all that we’ve signed up for online and elsewhere. A survey of 2,343 adults in March by CNET, a consumer-oriented website, found 48% of respondents said they’d signed up for a free trial of a paid subscription, and then simply forgotten to cancel it.

It’s about time consumers got more help against these expensive costs and shady business practices.