I believe I've been scammed, help getting my money back or investigate?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Multiple users report being scammed by fraudulent Shopify stores that take payments and then disappear from the platform. Common patterns include:

Red flags identified:

  • Stores using ‘.myshopify.com’ URLs instead of custom domains
  • Low order numbers (e.g., order #1001) indicating brand-new stores
  • Websites going offline shortly after purchases
  • No response to customer emails
  • No order confirmations or tracking information

Reported losses:

  • Individual amounts range from $56 to $550
  • Users mention stores like hobomon, tranquilsanas, lochenmow, biking4orever, and Packmania

Resolution attempts:

  • Most users successfully recovered funds through bank chargebacks or credit card fraud disputes
  • Shopify’s official response directs victims to contact their banks and report merchants via a form
  • However, reporting is difficult when store URLs become inactive (404 errors)

User frustration:

  • Many express lost trust in the Shopify platform
  • Complaints focus on lack of seller verification and buyer protection
  • Some mention potential class action investigation for consumer protection violations
  • Users feel Shopify provides support for merchants but not for scammed buyers

Status: Ongoing issue with no platform-level resolution; individual cases resolved through financial institutions.

Summarized with AI on October 23. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
2

If you can’t get in touch with the owner of the store (you should of received an order confirmation email, that includes the email of the store owner - or their support email address), then you should contact your bank (or credit card company) to initiate a chargeback.

In the future, I’d recommend not purchasing from stores that don’t have a custom domain name. If the store still uses a ‘.myshopify.com’ URL, then it’s probably not fully set up yet, or is inactive. It also helps to research reviews for stores before purchasing from them – this is good practice for any purchases online (not just Shopify stores).

Seeing as how the store is no longer available (if you go to hobomon.myshopify.com), it’s likely that Shopify has already acted against the store owner, hence the closure.

I’m sorry to hear that this happened to you. I wish you luck in getting in contact with the store owner, or else filing a successful chargeback.

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