Fraud Alert: Respondao.com Scams Buyers with Cheap Electric bike
You must have come across the electric bike sold on respondao.com for very cheap prices. Sadly, it is not a legit discount sale offer. In reality, Respondao.com scams buyers after luring them with fake clearance sale. The store fails to deliver the items after payments are made.
We investigated Respondao.com, below are reasons why It’s considered high risk and fraud threat.
These are Reasons Why You Should Avoid Shopping from Respondao.com
It is Owned by a Suspicious Company
Respondao.com is owned and operated by NOVVA Limited whose reputation online is terrible. it is a shady China based company linked to many fraudulent online stores.
Exposes Customers To Credit Card Theft
The website lacks an SSL encryption, this is why your browser likely marked it as ‘Unsafe’ or ‘potential threat’. By not installing an SSL certificate on the website, customers are open to an assortment of risks: Man in the middle attacks. Attackers have access to all the data on the site which includes customer’s PII and credit card details.
Fails to Deliver Items Paid for by Customers
Lots of buyers have left reviews online stating their grievance and experience. As can be seen below, Respondao.com does not deliver the items bought or give a tangible feedback.
Ordered ebike from them for 45.98 and no ebike nothing shipped to me
Inez
Recently Registered Website
The domain ‘Respondao.com’ was recently registered. The registration information is available on who.is (a domain checker tool) The registration date is 8th August 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.
Poor Customer Support
The website’s email address [email protected] does not work. Customers mails have not been responded to even when marked ‘Urgent’. Meanwhile, the email itself looks unprofessional.
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 Does Respondao.com Scam Work?
The scam online store lures buyers with low prices of items but fails to deliver the items ordered. The store often uses fake tracking details to deceive buyers who end up not receiving any item.
Customers are also at risk of of hacked credit cards, data theft, and phishing scams when they shop from this store . You’re also at risk if you used PayPal to make purchase as this store exploits a major issue in PayPal’s system.
What To Do If You’re a Victim of Respondao.com Scam
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 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 this 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.
How To Know If a Website is Legit or Scam This 2023
According to FTC, online shopping fraud is the most reported fraud category of 2023. Below are steps to take in order to stay safe and avoid this kind of scam;
Check the Domain age – How old is the website? (You can do so by visiting who.is)
Website Security Check – find out if the website is secured with SSL encryption. (https and padlock symbols).
Find Out Its Physical Location – 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)
Check For Reviews – 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)
Beware of the returns and refund policy before purchasing – If the policy isn’t available or if it isn’t favorable to customers, you should quit shopping.
Use secure methods of payment that protect the buyer – payments portals like PayPal make it easy to get your money back.
Conclusion:
Just like rhythmpal.com, Respondao.com is a fraudulent online store that lures buyers with a fake sale of ebike, kid tricycle, etc.. Buyers will not receive their order after paying. Beware!
