Don’t Get Scammed By Fake Hallmark Overstock 90% Off Sale
Scammers are back with a polished scam. They create Fake Hallmark websites and lure buyers with cheap ornaments with 90% discount. After payments are made, they swindle buyers by failing to deliver the ordered items and also stealing their credit card info.
Have you come across a Fake Hallmark website online? There’s a likelihood that it is a scam. Here’s red flags to look out for, how to spot the Hallmark Overstock 90% Off Sale Ads on social media, and what to do if you’ve been taken by the scam.
How Does The Fake Hallmark websites Scam Work?
The scammers set up Ads on Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook, using ‘Hallmark Overstock 90% Off Sale’ as a hook. Customers are lured with the tempting discounts and countdown timer which creates a sense of urgency.
However, after placing an order on the fraudulent websites, they are sent a fake tracking number, and eventually do not receive the items they paid for. Any attempt to contact the store is always futile as the emails are not replied.
Hallmark Overstock 90% Off Sale: Red flags That Stand Out
Not The Legit Hallmark Website ‘Hallmark.com’
Poses as an Hallmark website, whereas in reality it has no affiliation with the brand. The website is actually committing a crime. Even the products displayed on the website do not belong to the store. They have stolen the images from Hallmark.com and are passing it off as theirs.
Displays Fake Business Address or No Business Address
One common tactics by the scammers is to display a fake business address or company info. Often scenario, the fake stores do not have business address . This is a warning sign that shouldn’t be overlooked, as lack of physical address is very common with fraudulent online stores. The absence of address indicate that the owner of the website isn’t genuine, as they prefer to hide behind a wall of anonymity.
Recently Registered Website
The websites are all registered between July 2023 – October 2023. This means the website has been open for barely few months. So the store has no reputation and could easily shut down any time.
Too Good To Be True Discount & Sales Offer
The discount margin is too large and unrealistic even on a sale. What this store simply does is use the cheap price as a bait to lure buyers. When people see the low price, they become tempted to take a risk.
How To Spot The Fake Hallmark Overstock 90% Off Sale
Too Good To Be True Ads
Fake ads on social media are often easy to spot by their discount offers. Remember the old adage; ‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,’. Look for language like “limited time offer” or “only a few left,” both of which are signs of fake ads on social media.
Low Price Point
Massive discounts on branded items are a telltale sign that this is a fake ad on social media. If the ad promises you valuable, high-demand goods at a price point that’s absurdly lower than everyone else’s, it’s either a counterfeit product or a scam store.
The URL doesn’t begin with https://
If you’ve clicked on a social media ad and have been taken to a website, check the URL. If it doesn’t begin with https://, that’s a red flag, and they could be running an online shopping scam. “The ‘s’ indicates a higher level of encryption security
Turned off Comments
If the social media page has comments turned off, this is a red flag. Scammers turn off comments because they don’t want to invite customer service questions or people griping about the product they ordered that never arrived.
Recently Created Page
Fake Ads often come from newly created pages. Pro tip; Check the ratio of followers to engagement. People who buy followers will have low engagement compared to their follower number, and the comments will tend to be generic sounding.
What To Do If You’re a Victim of The Fake Hallmark Overstock 90% Off Sale
Contact Your bank To Cancel The Transaction and Get a Refund
The first thing you should do is contact your bank to inform them about the fraudulent purchase. Through the chargeback system, you can get your money back from the transaction if you file a dispute claim. You could also request for a credit card freeze. That way, your bank would block any future transactions on your credit card, ensuring that scammers are unable to exploit it.
Update Your Passwords and Enable Two Factor Authentication
The second step you should take is updating your passwords. This should be done if you’ve used the same password you used on Fake Hallmark Overstock 90% Off Sale on other websites or applications. You should also go an extra step of enabling two-factor authentication. This would keep you protected from data breech.
Meanwhile, you should beware of any fraudulent email from the store. Do not click on any suspicious link in the email, as it could be a phishing scam. Clicking on the link might install malware on your phone which could compromise your device’s security.
Report the Scam
Report the scam to relevant authorities and organizations. This includes:
- Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): If you are in the United States, you can file a complaint with the IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov/.
- Your Local Consumer Protection Agency: Contact your local consumer protection agency or the equivalent regulatory body in your country.
- Better Business Bureau (BBB): File a complaint with the BBB if the online store is based in the United States.
How To Shop Smartly Online & Protect Yourself From Online Store Scam
Aside from the obvious too good to be true discount sale, here are other ways to identify a scam website;
Search for Reviews Online
Are there customer reviews online? (It is advised that you sit it out if there are no customer reviews of the store. However if you’re not patient enough to wait you can send a mail to us to verify if the store is legit)
Find Out If The Website Has SSL Encryption
find out if the website is secured with SSL encryption. (https and padlock symbols). If the padlock symbol doesn’t appear near the website’s URL, then it means your personal and financial information is at risk at the store.
Verify The Physical Address
Does The website provide return address? If Yes (Copy the address and paste on your browser. Google map would show if it is a real warehouse address or a residential address) If the address has also been used by other websites you’d see reviews in search results.
Check The Website’s Age
How old is the website? The domain age of a website tells a lot about a store’s legitimacy or transparency. Websites below 6 months old are often considered unsafe. You can find out a website’s age by checking on Who.is ( a free domain checker tool)
Read The Store’s Returns and Refund policy
If the policy isn’t available or if it isn’t clear, you should quit shopping.
Use Secure methods of Payment
When an online store’s payment methods lack the necessary encryption and security measures to protect customers’ sensitive financial information, it puts you – the shopper at risk of unauthorized transactions.
