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Does this look like a scam...?

E

eidrunner247

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 4, 2006
310
5
I know, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. Here it goes though...

I was looking to buy "Stranger Than Fiction" for a good price. Usually I will go to half.com. So, I check and there is a brand new copy for $9.35. The bad news is that it's from a new seller: dvds4less1

So I go to their website: dvds4less1.com and well, there are a bunch of great movies for the same deal, but needless to say, it looks way sketch. Any thoughts?
 
Whois is your friend.... Make it your first stop.

THe domain dvds4less1.com was registered on Tuesday. Do I need to go any further?



Registrant:
Matthew Conner
179 Early Bird Lane
GREENWOOD, IN 46142
US

Domain name: DVDS4LESS1.COM

Administrative Contact:
Conner, Matthew dvds4less1@aol.com
179 Early Bird Lane
GREENWOOD, IN 46142
US
+1.3179795455
Technical Contact:
Tech, Domain domaintech@prostores.com
3250 W. Commercial Blvd.
Suite 200
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
US
+1.9543348000


Registration Service Provider:
Affinity Internet, Inc., domainmanager@affinity.com
954-334-8000
954-334-8001 (fax)
This company may be contacted for domain DNS/Nameserver changes, and
general domain support questions.


Registrar of Record: TUCOWS, INC.
Record last updated on 27-Feb-2007.
Record expires on 27-Feb-2008.
Record created on 27-Feb-2007.

Domain servers in listed order:
DNS2.PROSTORES.COM
DNS1.PROSTORES.COM
DNS3.PROSTORES.COM


Also, the Bizrate logo is a fake, it doesn't link anywhere
Their Policies page is a joke
"We will refund your order or replace it with another movie if in stock. Movie must be returned within 7 business days if defective. Movies not receive will receive refund or another movie."
There is no address or phone number or legal company name I can find.
 
adrianblaine said:
I usually stay away from anything that looks sketchy, unless I know someone personally that can vouch for it. I tend to go with my first instinct. And remember, you usually get what you pay for...
Click to expand...

That's true - but I wonder if it is ever okay to roll the dice knowing that credit card protection offers you back-up for those purchase. On the off-chance that you do receive the item - great. But if you don't, just cancel the transaction.

I am just playing with the idea here. I would never do that, I just imagine, "what if"...
 
eidrunner247 said:
That's true - but I wonder if it is ever okay to roll the dice knowing that credit card protection offers you back-up for those purchase. On the off-chance that you do receive the item - great. But if you don't, just cancel the transaction.

I am just playing with the idea here. I would never do that, I just imagine, "what if"...
Click to expand...

Don't try to scam the scammer. They'll win.
It is never ok to 'roll the dice' on a seller you know damn well isn't legit.

Consider, what if this isn't a DVD scam, what if it really is an identity/Card number theft scam? Who cares about the $8 they'll make off you on the DVD, when they can sell your name address and card details to a US fraud riung or to Nigeria for $200? And that by the time (30 - 45 days) you start noticing massive charges on your card and complain to the card companies, they will have racked up $10,000 in theft.

"Ah" you say "but I'm ok, coz my charge card company will cancel those charges for me" -- think - how can the charge card company afford to protect you? They take the money directly out of the accounts of the retailers who unknowingly sold the $10K worth of goods to the scammers - that's how. It's a dead loss to the retailers, and the scammers are long gone.

So your $8 roll of the dice contributes to huge losses by innocent businesses.

Not to mention the grief you could get if they manage to get ahold of more of your information, steal your ID and ruin your credit rating...
 
CanadaRAM said:
Consider, what if this isn't a DVD scam, what if it really is an identity/Card number theft scam? Who cares about the $8 they'll make off you on the DVD, when they can sell your name address and card details to a US fraud riung or to Nigeria for $200?
Click to expand...

People set up fake bank websites too, trying to get you to sign in with your username and password. Better to be safe than sorry when dealing with this kind of stuff online.
 
i just bought some movie from them. i used a prepaid visa card . i will let you know if i receive them . i didn't trust them ! was emailed a Receipt from them and a Reference Number.
 
chevy327 said:
no i ordered before i read this forum . just signed up here today .
Click to expand...

holland_plant.jpg
 
don't go there

I purchased some DVD's, before reading this forum, from these guys on 3/11/07 as of today I have not received them and can get no reply from their email address. Also, noted, when I went back to half.com, where I found them that the movies I thought I bought are now listed as unavailable. My credit card was charged the day of the purchase on line so I'm now dealing with getting my money back.
 
Its a scam for sure

Sadly, I also ordered dvd's before looking at this forum. Its been over two weeks since I ordered the movies and I havent received them. The money has also been deducted from my account. I have emailed them countless times but received no response.

THEY ARE A SCAM:mad:
 
I also ordered before finding this website and sent them countless emails without an answer. But, today I received 4 of the 5 dvd's I ordered, and hopefully the other will come tomorrow. They were all supposed to be full screen and they were all widescreen, but I'm not even going to attempt to send them back because who knows if I will ever get the correct format. I will never order from them again and will warn others about this site. Hope the rest of you that ordered get your dvds
 
I've seen a few websites that look like scams, typically something like this one:

http://www.vista-enterprise.info/

sometimes the url looks like this

http://www.vista-enterprise.info/yyet

or

http://www.vista-enterprise.info/xhte

I presume the code is linked to the spam email they sent, so they can identify which email addresses are genuine.

Website is almost genuine looking, but note the 'download only' service - and no mention of how you shouldn't be trying to download Creative Suite over a 56k modem :)

Finally, the order section is interesting. I filled it up with fake info and a made-up card number. Hey presto: ORDER ACCEPTED!

So if you suspect it's a fake site, try it with a fake number - they may not have access to the CC processing and verification services and are just trying to collect info.

Just my £0.02
 
eidrunner247 said:
That's true - but I wonder if it is ever okay to roll the dice knowing that credit card protection offers you back-up for those purchase. On the off-chance that you do receive the item - great. But if you don't, just cancel the transaction.

I am just playing with the idea here. I would never do that, I just imagine, "what if"...
Click to expand...

That is something to think about- but there is of course a hassle factor even if your purchase is covered.

Something else to ponder, everyone was a 'new seller' at one point in time...but I agree, this sounds like a scam.

Great idea RedTomato! Fake number would help identify a more legitimate site, but it still could be fake and they are charging you and not going to ship the goods, but you would at least then have recourse with your cc most likley.
 
It's definitely not worth the gamble for something you can buy for a similar price on, say Amazon (for example). I'd personally rather spend a couple of extra bucks for the security and assurance from buying from a respected vendor, especially when it's literally only a couple of extra dollars.

For those that ordered from this merchant, I do hope your DVDs arrive!
 
It's a scam...

I have the userid 'dvds4less' on e-bay, and let me forewarn you, it is a scam!

Over the past week or two, I have had countless people sending me e-mail through e-bay about "Where is my stuff?"

So, I just started doing digging tonight and all I can say is don't trust anyone with (0) feedback on e-bay and sure as the heck don't trust anyone who refers you to a store to buy linked from e-bay when the deal is too good to be true and the domain has just been registered.

I'm going to try and make contact with the individuals and refer them to the authorities.
 
eidrunner247 said:
That's true - but I wonder if it is ever okay to roll the dice knowing that credit card protection offers you back-up for those purchase. On the off-chance that you do receive the item - great. But if you don't, just cancel the transaction.

I am just playing with the idea here. I would never do that, I just imagine, "what if"...
Click to expand...

That's one of the scams.

1. Open a store offering too-good-to-be-true deals
2. Open a merchant account with a credit card processor.
3. Collect money. Skip town.
4. Angry customers reverse charges
5. Credit card companies are left holding the bag.
 
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