Reporting a scam store

[Hughgo]

I'm a Shopify store owner, Shopify has for my purposes been a fantastic product. However, as soon as I decided to purchase something from someone else's Shopify store, I was sorely disappointed by a scam website. 

After looking into the site, Strouz, I found that the store owner is operating more than one scam site ripping people off for counterfeit phone cases (Vorus Men, Strouz). In my case, after a product did finally arrive after a month, it's not the same product as advertised, and it wasn't even functional. It arrived unbranded, broken and unable to be used with multiple manufacturing defaults. After attempting to get my money back as per the stores "refund policy", they refused and offered me only a voucher to purchase another case and now will not communicate at all. Upon checking their Facebook, there are only complaints describing the same issues I've had, and they won't allow comments on their Instagram posts for obvious reasons. I tried posting comments on their FB page that were promptly deleted by Strouz.

Why is there no way for us to report scam stores like this?

This kind of store should not be allowed to still be live, scamming more people as is evident by the new reviews on their FB page. Inevitably this kind of deceit only brings down all of the legitimate Shopify operators. Is there some advice someone can give me to have these stores taken down? I don't want more people to have their money stolen and time wasted.   

[Melloone]

I was scammed as well. The store....prettylittledealsstore.com

They took my money, sent generic response  letters when I questioned them and wont return my money. It's been a month.. Shopify needs to dump or fine these scam companies and by the looks of these feeds their are ALOT of them.

[WmH2]

It has gotten so bad... I now assume that a Shopify company is a scam. If
it's a company that I now question, I will send them an email or call their
support number first to see how they respond.

[Robert77]

Found this site on facebook, advertising a produkt so cheap it could only be, a cheap copy.. pay 199 save 520 dollars!! (dji mavrik mini fly more)

you can check for suspisious sites using cyberbunkers.com..

My site came up good, but actually lost some marks, just because it was a shoppify platform, so if this trend keeps on, with no way of reporting and getting rid of scam sites. Then I'll be going back to my wordpress or find a site which is trusted by cyberbunkers and google alike, and I think many serious webbusnisess will too.

Would be great to get a reply from shoppify on this subject! under you will se the link to what I belive to be a scam site... if you want to test your own just goto www.cyberbunkers.com

https://www.cyberbunkers.com/2020/04/smartgadtcom-reviews-is-smartgadtcom.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR25TS6K...

[Jamesbtex]

Login to your account in the upper right corner click on the three bar box, scroll down in that menu, click on contact, then at the bottom of the next window click contact!

Easy and they are responsive.
I hope this helps you all,
James

[Jamesbtex]

Login to your account in the upper right corner click on the three bar box, scroll down in that menu, click on contact, then at the bottom of the next window click contact!

Easy and they are responsive.
I hope this helps you all,
James

[Guerra01]

I order an item from veafafmyshopify.com on 4 22 20 and they didn't send me anything

[Jamesbtex]

Login to your account in the upper right corner click on the three bar box, scroll down in that menu, click on contact, then at the bottom of the next window click contact support.
Easy!

They were very helpful to me and took down the fraudulent website. Unfortunately a few days later there’s a duplicate site that popped up!
MAKE SURE YOU REPORT THESE SO OTHER CUSTOMERS DON’T GET RIPPED OFF!

I hope this helps you all,
James

[Jamesbtex]

Login to your account in the upper right corner click on the three bar box, scroll down in that menu, click on contact, then at the bottom of the next window click contact support.
Easy!

They were very helpful to me and took down the fraudulent website. Unfortunately a few days later there’s a duplicate site that popped up!
MAKE SURE YOU REPORT THESE SO OTHER CUSTOMERS DON’T GET RIPPED OFF!

I hope this helps you all,
James

[pb-cat]

@Jamesbtex , can you explain the steps in a bit more detail? Do you find the three bar box in yoursite.myshopify.com/admin?

I also notice that duplicate sites pop up after you take the old one offline. It's like battling the Hydra!

[WmH2]

I have tried to report a website back in Sept of last year when an order I placed in July just vanished (Neluger.com)... I went back and forth with support.  They were more interested in protecting the scammer than to help me get my money back.  

Now, I am a victim of yet another scam site, (sawexpert.net)... I had stopped do any kind of business with anyone hosting with Shopify... I was given the platform another shot when I placed the order in May, bam... got suckered again.

Mean while, I am advising another friend who place an order through another shopify site to get his money back from his credit card company.

The platform is just a host for scammers... I would be one thing if they helped people get their funds back... but as they don't seem to care, I will never buy anything through them again.

[Mosaed20]

https://stibuck.com/

another scam. financially affected.

Regards

[pb-cat]

Hi everyone,

I just wrapped up a long chat with Shopify Support and learned the following things:

• File chargebacks. If a store gets a high volume of chargebacks, Shopify's Risk team will investigate. File a claim with your CC company whenever possible to bring the store to Shopify's attention.
• Report the store using Shopify's Acceptable Use Policy violation form. Shoppers can use the reason "Non-Delivery of Product" to report the scams. Sellers can report infringement with the reason "Intellectual Property".

I'm not sure how many chargebacks/reports are required to trigger a review by Shopify, but hopefully those points are a resource for shoppers and storeowners. Please report where you can and hopefully these stores get taken down!

[WmH2]

Pb-cat, when I reported the 3 or 4 companies who were scamming through the platform, Shopify never once said that there was a formal process to report them.  Even though the stores were still open and still taking live scans...  even when I presented the invalid contact information on their shops, they did nothing... even when I presented them with invalid tracking numbers for items that were supposed to be in transit, they did nothing.  Shopify's policy to protect their scammers has been proven time and time again.  I now consider anyone using Shopify a scam PERIOD.

[RonelS]

Why is Shopify not verifying the company registrations.  If Shopify is facilitating these transactions then they are facilitating a crime.

[Skipiduweinau]

I pay about 100-200€ to Shopify every month as they take 2% of commission. We who try to build some honest business there is lots of Spam shops out now from Shopify. Why do they should care when they get commission of all the scams as well. No verification process has not been made that business is legal and the owner as well. 

[Julien40]

Same thing happenned to me, I've been robbed by a Shopify website that's supposed to be hosted in France but it's in Canada.

A site that clearly claims to be located in France (French flags everywhere), supposed to have 7/7 Customer service through tchat and email.

The payment worked well but I never received my order and no responses to any contact request.

The site is: https://mon-horloge-murale.com/

I wish Shopify (as a leader in the industry) would do something about it, it's just umbelievable that anyone can create such a fraud site on such a big platform and there is almost nothing you can do about it.

Julien

[Melloone]

I wish shopify would pay closer attention to these bogus sellers like give them 6 months to prove themselves or in fraudulent stores ban them.I also noticed when they start getting bad scores and feedback they quickly change their names. That should set off warning bells right there to Shopify. Unfortunately I believe Shopify is more interested in the money the retailers give them than the people who use those retailers.

[Skipiduweinau]

But they get benefit from this even the scams are paying customers so of course they welcome the extra money. Same shit is at Facebook marketing. They not care the scam ads when they get the money.

[Ninagt33]

I just ran into same issue.

This store Justincase LA is scamming people trying to sell phone cases.

SHOPIFY - How are you allowing these people to create merchant accounts with you guys.. I will trust no store hosted by you guys ever again.

[WILLIE1947]

Ya no shit scammers

[Accountability]

I've created a petition that asks Shopify to take greater action on spam prevention. Please take a look here and share: https://www.change.org/shopifytransparency

[CalB06]

https://www.shopify.com/legal/report-aup-violation

This link seems to do some reporting of scam sites. 

[EyeR]

That link does indeed report scams, and other problems.

Now provision some evidence these 'reports' are acted upon.  As opposed to attempting to fob off people with a templated response that offers only empty assurances.

There seems to be a lot of evidence to suggest that Shopify knowingly leave such internet facing, presumably to keep cashing that cheque.

I can also provision evidence this is a long on-going issue, implying no intent to modify behaviour.

If I was you, buyer or seller, I'd be taking my business elsewhere.

I can help you with that.

Expect this post to vanish when someone who doesn't like what it says reads it.

[MichaelW69]

Unfortunately, I recently had this happen, and when I tried to point this out to Shopify, including the abrupt lack of communication that started on the day I was "guaranteed" to get my order. I pointed out all kinds of red flags, including the fact that their "Contact Us" page was lifted directly from a pet food site (The products on this page were not related to pets in any way). Also, the website and the FB page were both about 3 weeks old, and despite supposedly being a US company, were curated from like Pakistan.

All Shopify would say is that I needed to wait 4 weeks after shipping. they ignored the fact that it had been "shipping" for 3 weeks at that point, and the company stopped responding to emails the day that my promised delivery came and went. Neither FB nor Shopify care at all about consumer safety, and they also have realized that they don't need to care about their brand, so neither one is going to do anything. And I'm sorry, but knowing how many Shopify sites are scams (A BBC investigation found about 21% were dangerous for consumers in one way or another), I can no longer use Shopify. I'd recommend another platform for your store.

[WmH2]

Since Shopify seems to be more concerned with helping thieves out, when I started down this thread, I had showed them how the email address on their "contact us" was invalid.  They refused to reach out to the merchant to let them know that the email address was wrong and that they had customers trying to reach them.  Shopify support won't do anything after 4 weeks... they just lie and lie and lie.  I have kept my emails and communications with this shameful company.

Now when I want to order something from a Shopify hosted company, I now contact them ahead of time. If no response, I don't order.

You might also want to report the company to Facebook since they have a page and ads.

[epkfinds]

Report them for fraud at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/assistant

[Jamesbtex]

None of these types of services I have found, have any easy to contact support options because that would mean hiring people a $$ to their business. Fraudsters are able to get away with this because there is hardly ever any background checks performed (again costing money). The most common response if you do get one is to refer you to a government website (who also won't help). This is why fraudsters are exploding, they know that the chances of getting caught are slim to none!! 

I ordered a US Rechargeable electric tree branch trimmer for $70. Everything about the listing look legit including feedback. So what was delivered after waiting weeks??

A pair of $5 manual hand clippers and a Europe to US AC Adapter! It was almost like the fraudster wasn't content with just taking my money, they had to make a joke out of it and send me a pair of the cheapest cutters and a AC adapter that changed the wide round Europe plugs to the standard US two prong plugs. 

I reported it to my credit card company and they refunded me the charge but ulimately they will raise their interest rates to customers to pay for all the rip offs there are out there now.

And the services offering platforms to these crooks are only interested in making money!

They won't follow up on it. Just as quickly as that fraudsters website was taken down, they just created a new name and opened up a new store listing with exactly the same products being offered! A larger, growing percentage of the population doesn't care about honesty and honor anymore! These days you have to be extremely careful with your purchases.

[blindeager]

It's been 2 years since this was put up and I cannot find a way to report fraudulent companies.  I was scammed by TWO DIFFERENT Shopify websites.  How is this still happening?  How can we report these websites?!  I need help or I'm gonna have to stop shopping with ANY websites powered by Shopify if something cannot be done and just shop Amazon from now on since they actually help their people.  I ordered three different orders and NONE of them showed up.  Shopify should have some responsibility in this!

[WmH2]

So, were you not able to do it from this website?
https://www.shopify.com/legal/report-aup-violation

[Thecrown1001]

Is this topic still open? Because there is an other scam webshop: https://urbanvehicles.nl/. Says he delivers e-bikes, but he only takes peoples money and never delivers any of his products. The positive reviews on trustpilot are from fake accounts. And the people who tell the truth on Trustpilot he reports there reviews. The owner Tonny Verweij of this webshop is a known Dutch scammer, he has several webshops and companies before: scubo.nl (see trustpilot), Aquasub (see trustpilot), Stichting Qenzi etc. With all of these companies he rips off people. So hopefully Shopify will shut his new webshop urban vehicles Amsterdam down.

[Thecrown1001]

Update he is making a new webshop ass well: bakfietsen.nl

[MichaelW69]

That's it. Your last bit. I stay away if I see the store is thru Shopify because I don't know if I'm going to get ripped off. And there was a study done that found something like 40% of Shopify stores are scams because it's so easy to set up. You are more than welcome to forward my statement on to support, since this is affecting you , too.

[gregthehunter]

Hello,

I'm here to says that https://kleaner.net/ is a scam and doesn't deliver anymore.

I've made two orders which never arrives, send several e-mails with no answer.

A lot of french customers says they never receive the product, and have no answer from the reseller, on this page : www.signal-arnaques.com/comment/add?scamId=300241

The real and serious kleaner company (in germany) says the person who made this website doesn't deliver anymore (death, prison, nobody knows) and give no answer.

It's a shame that Shopify doesn't do anything to protect customers from fake websites.

[oliversinz]

Hi everyone! Hi @Hughgo @gregthehunter @MichaelW69 @Thecrown1001 @WmH2 

Hope you're having a great day! I'm sorry for what happened to you.

Why is there no way for us to report scam stores like this?

There is a way to report shops like this to Shopify. You can do it here:

https://www.shopify.com/legal/report-aup-violation

Have a great day everyone!

[Simonhoisington]

Why did I get this notification? What do you want me to do?

[halbertfarm]

https://unitedslickmart.com/ scam site

[viridel]

The stupidest part is that Shopify won't allow you to report a fraud transaction for 30 days after the order.  Who is waiting that long in this day & age?  You know you've been scammed after a week, at most.  Waiting 30 days just invites more victims.  This is an egregious policy problem from Shopify.