I think I have been scammed!

simplyme on 31/03/2019 - 04:52

I recently purchased a pair of shoes online 9 days ago that were extremely cheap $48.95 on austinhomeinspections.org (I know, a strange name). I received confirmation for my order and an order number but got charged $54 on my 28 degrees Mastercard by Mas*jacketcordee.com Herbeisheng China.

I received no receipt for this transaction nor a tracking number. I have contacted the company via their contact page twice and emailed the shop owner at [email protected]

No one has responded to any of my emails and there is no record of the shoes being dispatched or a tracking number. There is no phone number advertised so I can ring them either. It is so frustrating. I have done some googling and the email address and online shop is a possible scam even though all their policies etc sound legit. I am really angry as I need the shoes for my son's wedding. I don't know whether to wait and see what happens or whether to order the same shoes for $160 via eBay so I have the shoes in time for the wedding. Do you know if there is anyway I can recover the money debited from my 28 degrees Mastercard or do I count my losses? I don't want to double up on the same shoes.

General Discussion

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austinhomeinspections.org
austinhomeinspections.org

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 31/03/2019 - 06:07

    If it's to good to be true…..

    Sorry for your loss.

    • geech on 31/03/2019 - 07:34
      -3

      Based on their website, they’re a not-for-profit - so that explains the low prices

  • Bourb on 31/03/2019 - 06:07
    +6

    To be quite honest 9 days isn't very long when dealing with a business located in China. Whenever I order items from China I really don't expect to see delivery for about 6 weeks or so.

    As a last resort, if you are convinced that you have been scammed, then contact your Credit Card company and request a Chargeback. The process to get your money back will take a few weeks or more.

  • elgrande on 31/03/2019 - 07:02
    +16

    This reminds me of the time that Hush Puppies failed to show up to do my pre purchase building inspection!

  • o53djz7qTPY4der on 31/03/2019 - 07:16
    +8

    Just do a chargeback and buy from somewhere reputable.

    • Love a bargain on 31/03/2019 - 13:56

      doubt the bank would entertain a chargeback request 9 days after purchase though

      • jv on 01/04/2019 - 01:10

        Yeah, I'd wait until 10 days.

  • Melb69 on 31/03/2019 - 07:37

    The shoes may come, but apart from the web page name it does look very dodgy. The copyright is still 2017 not updated and the whole site looks very poor. No Paypal offered. You have to sign in to contact via email. Only ever brought shoes online once and never again. Without trying it on how would you know the shoes will fit you properly.

  • kerfuffle on 31/03/2019 - 07:51
    +5

    Should have stayed away from a home inspection site with an .org selling shoes … You've definitely been scammed.

  • Hithere on 31/03/2019 - 09:10

    Their privacy policy seems very brief and vague, unable to find any reviews about the site apart from home inspections. Feels suss to me.

  • Hardlyworkin on 31/03/2019 - 09:16

    No bricks and mortar ships sell these fancy shoes? All they specially built for cold feet?

  • pingualien on 31/03/2019 - 09:40

    lmao a true ozbargainer

    • [Deactivated] on 31/03/2019 - 10:09

      A true ozbargainer knows that the website stated is a fake shop.

    • ihbh on 31/03/2019 - 14:17

      true ozbargainers aren't stupid.

  • bobbified on 31/03/2019 - 10:01
    +1

    These scammers pick up a legitimate online store's whole website, make slight modifications and host it on a dodgey web address. The site looks nice and legit with huge markdowns. It will also take your money.

    But nothing will appear for delivery.

    • SirFlibbled on 01/04/2019 - 13:52

      If they do deliver, it'll be counterfeit.

      • Yummy on 01/04/2019 - 16:23

        Or, it will be just a pair of thongs in the box. NOICE!

  • slix_88 on 31/03/2019 - 10:18
    +7

    Do a chargeback asap and get 28 Degrees to replace your card. They don't only take your money for the purchase but will make us of your CC details to milk you more. It's happened to me before.

  • altomic on 31/03/2019 - 10:31
    +4

    That site is a scam?! <insert surprised pikachu meme>

  • Ughhh on 31/03/2019 - 11:32
    +2

    austinhomeinspections.org

    The website name alone is telling you it's a fake, I mean a home inspections company selling shoes? Have a think about it and next time you buy anything online, think whether it makes sense or not. Would you buy or think a store selling Gucci bags for $50 as legit?

    • [Deactivated] on 31/03/2019 - 11:46

      And has a .org

      And Austin based in China. Not Texas.

  • Yummy on 31/03/2019 - 12:50
    +1

    They got your CC details now. Woohoo more shopping time!

    • kmwa on 31/03/2019 - 15:21
      +2

      Dear OP, it's obviously a fraudulent site, and now they've got your credit card details.
      Check your statements online immediately for any unexpected transactions. Even $1.00 or $0.00 transactions are a concern, they might be checking that the card still works and hasn't been cancelled already before selling it on to someone else.
      Contact the credit card company, tell them you've been the victim of fraud, ask them to reverse the transaction and get them to close the card and issue you a new one.
      How can I be sure it's fraudulent? You say "all their policies etc sound legit".
      Well, do a google search on the phrase "we will need 1-2 working days to processing your order and arrange the shipment". First of all, the phrase doesn't sound right, so it's probably been put together by a non-native English speaker. And secondly, when you google the phrase, it comes up with 72 hits from different sites. Shoes, garments, make-up… This is fraud on an industrial scale.
      I really don't know why the credit card companies can't be more proactive with fraudulent sites like this, shutting them down or setting up an app or an extension to alert customers.

      • Ughhh on 31/03/2019 - 18:02
        +1

        I really don't know why the credit card companies can't be more proactive with fraudulent sites like this, shutting them down or setting up an app or an extension to alert customers.

        When one scam website is taken down, another 2 pops up. It's not the CC companies job to monitor these sites, nor do they have the power to shut down sites like they're the FBI or something. Can't expect their system to auto detect every possible scam website. Best thing one can do is to think before buying, use common sense, not be greedy and do some research. Help yourself instead of relying others to help you. Be proactive instead of reactive.

  • cloudy on 31/03/2019 - 13:56
    +4

    Yep, you have probably been scammed. Some people should just shop in store and not think about using their money online. I’ve read some of your past posts. Sticking with bricks and mortar stores is my advice for you.

  • [Deactivated] on 31/03/2019 - 18:37

    9 days is a bit soon to be hitting the panic button. Give it a month then do a chargeback.

    Personally I would never buy shoes online as the sizing varies greatly.

    • kerfuffle on 31/03/2019 - 18:45
      +1

      Are you seriously suggesting that austinhomeinspections.org is a legitimate site that sells shoes?

      If I were the OP, that chargeback would already have happened.

      • [Deactivated] on 31/03/2019 - 19:07

        It seems unlikely, but it was obviously good enough that OP handed over his CC. As others have also said it is probably too soon do a chargeback and you never know they just might surprise you and the shoes turn up.

        • kerfuffle on 31/03/2019 - 19:09

          Unfortunately, some people aren't that internet savvy, like the OP and can't tell whether it's a scam or not and hand over their CC details willy nilly …

        • Ughhh on 31/03/2019 - 21:14

          The website isn't even secure, not even https.

          Even you believe there's greater than 1% chance of this being legit and safe, then no one can help you.

  • simplyme on 31/03/2019 - 23:08

    Thank you for all your replies. The only reason I bought the shoes online was because I already have the same shoes in a different colour bought from a bricks and mortar shop. I wanted the same shoes in blue for my son's wedding. I googled where to buy them and being old stock my choice for my size was Fruugo or this scam website. I have managed to find a shop in the UK that has one pair

    • jv on 01/04/2019 - 01:12
      +2

      I wanted the same shoes in blue for my son's wedding.

      What a cheapskate parent.

      You could have at least got him a Kenwood mixer.

  • simplyme on 31/03/2019 - 23:12
    +1

    Sorry, post sent! To finish: I have bought another pair on eBay, using PayPal from UK shop. I have contacted 28 degrees they are investigating the fraudulent transaction and have cancelled my card. In future I will only use PayPal and suss out the websites before buying anything.

  • 2ndeffort on 02/04/2019 - 14:30

    ONE of the basic tests I use is to look at the 'Contact Us' section of an online shop. If they have legit address, (ie when you check it out on Google maps it isnt a football stadium etc) phone number listed and an email address with a reasonable domain name (ie not gmail or another free email) then they possibly pass that part of my test. If the website is obviously one of the template websites with slightly different graphics from all the other similar websites and if their 'Contact Us' section only has a webform, no actual contact details that is a massive red Flag. As boring as it might be, often if you look at the company policies you'll find that they refer to other companies and not the actual one you are supposedly buying from. This is because thse criminals use a template that they slightly adjust to carry out these scames. They aer up, fleece $$ then are taken down quickly. They dont take the time to adjust the policy, they just reuse the same template and assume nobody reads that far into it.

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