As Black Friday approaches, scam retailers are popping up faster than you can say “add to cart.” Many of these sites copy the look of legitimate sites, using slightly altered web addresses and tempting discounts to lure shoppers into entering credit card details.
One of the latest examples is foxracing-store.shop, a site that appears to sell Fox Racing gear at massive markdowns. It looks real enough. Professional photos, clean layout, all the right logos. But people in the know say it’s almost certainly fake.
The official Fox Racing websites are foxracing.com (for the U.S.) and foxracing.ca (for Canada). Anything else, especially with a “.shop” or “.store” domain, should set off alarm bells.
“Too good to be true” is the first red flag
Scam sites thrive on urgency and greed. That $49 full-face helmet or $25 jersey is designed to short-circuit your skepticism. Reports online show that fake retailers regularly advertise steep discounts of 70 to 90 per cent off. Prices that even warehouse clearances can’t touch. You know why they can’t touch them? Because they aren’t real.
In the case of foxracing-store.shop, there are no verified reviews, no official social media links, and no contact information beyond a generic email (feel free to mass email vip.lris@gmail.com). The “About Us” section is blank. As is the “Patent” section.
If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
How scammers get your money and your card info
So what happens if you purchase stuff off a fake site? Most likely you’ll lost that money. But the scammers also now have your personal info. Will you get anything shipped to you? Unlikely. Maybe you’ll get some counterfeit product t, but more than likely you’ll receive nothing. It’s most likely you’ll get no confirmation of your order and days later, your credit cards will show unauthorized charges from unrelated vendors. Likely from anywhere in the world.
These sites often disappear within weeks, only to reappear under a new domain with a similar name. They count on shoppers acting fast and checking slowly. There’s often a count down clock to put pressure on you to buy before the sale ends.
How to shop safely this Black Friday
If you’re hunting deals on bikes, gear or apparel, here’s how to keep your wallet and data safe:
•Stick to official domains. Always check that the URL matches the brand’s legitimate site (for Fox Racing, that’s…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…