BALTIMORE — Online shoppers are losing money to look-a-like websites. These websites sometimes use the names of legitimate retailers to deceive consumers.
Tina Garvey recently came across one of these websites through a social media ad.
“The website said close out for SHEIN and everything was marked down,” said Garvey.
SHEIN, an online fashion retailer, is known for its bargain prices. Garvey thought the items were just on clearance and marked down even more.
“When I contacted the company, they told me it was just, they were trying to get rid of their old inventory, so they can add the new inventory in,” said Garvey.
She bought a fur jacket for $0.88, a parka for $8, and a 43-piece cooking tool set for just over $5. She ended up spending $136 for a total of 58 items.
“They kept telling me that my shipment was coming in. Well, two months went by, nothing,” said Garvey. “And they said, oh, because you ordered such a big inventory, it's going to take longer.”
As she waited, she grew suspicious.
“What got me was, when I paid for it, it didn't come up as SHEIN. When I've ordered from SHEIN, it came up as SHEIN,” said Garvey.
Instead, her bank statement listed transactions with wnvmzf.com and Cloth Fashion Mall.
Eventually, Garvey received a delivery.
“I ended up getting a ring, which was weird, because I didn't know where this was coming from. I've never ordered it,” Garvey said. “But then, when I went back on the inventory, it said delivered.”
And so was the second order.
“They sent me a little [PVC] pipe,” said Garvey.
Garvey then tried contacting the business. “When I tried to get back on the website, it was closed,” she said.
The website is still down, but one of their email addresses is connected to another site, clearancesalestore.com. That website is also inactive, however, the internet archive shows the page redirects to an UGG page notifying users of the counterfeit site and how they’ve taken action against 60,000 websites selling counterfeit UGG products.
“If you have to order, order from the website, don't go on Facebook,” said Garvey.
In an email, a spokesperson for the real SHEIN wrote:
"We have been made aware of recent scams falsely claiming to represent SHEIN. Communication from our company will only come from a shein.com email address. We encourage customers to stay vigilant and to contact our customer service channels to confirm any official emails from SHEIN offering or soliciting products or services."
When ordering online, look at reviews for that company, make sure they have a business address listed, phone number, and use a credit card for the best protection.
