Scam technology sales website
I know you guys are far too internet savvy to get caught out by this, but just wanted to share a blatantly bogus website that I came across this morning, so that maybe word gets around.
I'm in the market for a cheap Xbox One (mainly to get Rare Replay - but that's another story!), so I searched on google for cheap Xbox One's, and the top result for me was an Ad for a website called http://www.gcomstore.co.uk/
It seemed way too good to be true - loads of technology on there for way less than every other website out there. Case in point - Xbox One 1TB for £259.99, when you can't even get the 500GB Xbox One for that anywhere else.
This made me suspicious, so I wondered how they could get away with this if it was a scam. Surely I could claim back on my credit card should the goods not arrive? Therein lay the answer - the only payment they take is direct bank transfer! Not only that, but they advertise payment this way using the "Faster Payment" branding in exactly the same way as warned about by the Faster Payment website: http://www.fasterpayments.org.uk/protect-fraud
I did try to report this website to the "ActionFraud" website several times, but it seems broken, as each time I get to a certain point an "unexpected error" occurs. Sigh.
This may be of little interest to most here, and some might have the viewpoint that anyone stupid enough to pay by direct bank transfer deserves to get scammed, but I'm more thinking of grandparents and such that might not have any idea of these things and get stung trying to buy a gift for someone else. Also, on a personal note, in my 15 years+ of internet shopping, this is the first time I've seen such a comprehensively put together scam website. Maybe I've just been lucky not to come across any until now.
I'm in the market for a cheap Xbox One (mainly to get Rare Replay - but that's another story!), so I searched on google for cheap Xbox One's, and the top result for me was an Ad for a website called http://www.gcomstore.co.uk/
It seemed way too good to be true - loads of technology on there for way less than every other website out there. Case in point - Xbox One 1TB for £259.99, when you can't even get the 500GB Xbox One for that anywhere else.
This made me suspicious, so I wondered how they could get away with this if it was a scam. Surely I could claim back on my credit card should the goods not arrive? Therein lay the answer - the only payment they take is direct bank transfer! Not only that, but they advertise payment this way using the "Faster Payment" branding in exactly the same way as warned about by the Faster Payment website: http://www.fasterpayments.org.uk/protect-fraud
I did try to report this website to the "ActionFraud" website several times, but it seems broken, as each time I get to a certain point an "unexpected error" occurs. Sigh.
This may be of little interest to most here, and some might have the viewpoint that anyone stupid enough to pay by direct bank transfer deserves to get scammed, but I'm more thinking of grandparents and such that might not have any idea of these things and get stung trying to buy a gift for someone else. Also, on a personal note, in my 15 years+ of internet shopping, this is the first time I've seen such a comprehensively put together scam website. Maybe I've just been lucky not to come across any until now.
Post edited by Mousey on
Comments
2 others folk have probably seen here.. pro music equipment at silly cheap prices... just the tell tell is a tad obvious their hotmail address :)
or the other one, the kitchen gangster paid people with bots to flood forums with his low grade bits of wood, seeming to be kitchens. he has multiple bogus company websites set up.. e.g. london kitchens.. bolton etc etc
trading standards are a big fan of his
Usually there would not be a contact address or land line number.
Maybe someone who lives in Cambridge could check it out by going round.
Unit E Beadle Trading Estate, Ditton Walk, Cambridge, CB5 8P
The,ve ripped of carphone warehouses t&c s
More than likely a scam.
http://www.gcomstore.co.uk/terms-and-conditions
http://selfhelp.carphonewarehouse.com/SelfHelp/request.do?view()=c%7Befea8870-041a-11df-f38f-000000000000%7D