online jewelry scam please help!!!?

[ryder101]

so i recently made a purchase through this website http://www.pandorabraceletsoutletsale.com
It is a complete scam. I ordered my sister a bracelet and a charm on 12/6/12 and it is still being processed in my bank account. I paid with a debit card and i also accidentally ordered the same thing twice. I went to contact them, and they have no contact information, just an email. I have been emailing them everyday so far with no response at all yet. I went to talk to someone at the bank today and she said there is nothing that i can do until the order is fully processed. I spent $80 on this website and i don't know what to do any advice? what can i do to get my money back?? This order may never be processed. please help me. thank you.

[Jake]

Sorry to hear that, some say the internet is a cesspool of thieves, you have to be vigilant when dealing with an unknown if you look up the domain name owner information:

http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp

You can see the site is less than 1 month old and registered to a bogus looking address in Milwaukee, New Hampshire with a Wisconsin zip code and phone number. Their Contact us page has black lines in the web site template for Chat and Email. Some research up front next time may save some grief next time.

It's a common practice for shady Chinese sites to use faked addresses.

Sorry I don't have more positive information, you get more consumer protection with a credit card or Paypal, you may not be able to get a refund from a debt.

You might have to get satisfaction by exposing them on the various complaint sites like:
http://www.scambook.com/
http://www.ripoffreport.com/d
http://www.complaintsboard.com/

Some shady operators after a few months after they have been exposed in these sites, again buying from a site only 1 month old is extra risky.

I don't really see much after a search for: "pandorabraceletsoutletsale.com" scam
it may not be the worst site out there, you could get lucky and get something delivered.

Example automated site profile:
http://www.scamadviser.com/is-pandorabra...-safe.html


Here are other sites that have been on the same file server that have a fair chance of having a common owner, being in the company of these counterfeit sites is not a good sign, you might be able to do more ownership/contact research

pandorajewelryoutletsale.com
cambridgesatchelsaleuk.com
canadagoosejacketonsale.net
canadagooseoutletsales.net
cheapestuggsbootsforsale.org
cheappandorajewelrysale.net
cheapthomassabocharms.net
christianlouboutinonlinestore.net
christianlouboutinsoutletshop.com
mulberryoutletonsale.co.uk
shopmichaelkorsoutletsale.com
thomassabooutletsale.com
uggsoutletsales.com
windowsvistaproductkey.net

[Luckybutter881]

Thanks for posting up that information on a scam.

Making a scammer's scam googlable on every scam-warner-anti-fraud-busting site you can find is a great way to slow that scammer down when a suspicious potential victim goes looking for information, finds your post containing the name the scammer is using, his email address, phone number and the emails themselves and then that potential victim does not become a scam victim because you took the time "get the word out".

Wasting a scammer's time legally and safely is called "scambaiting". If you google that word, you will find sites where you can read scambaits, post up the emails and email addresses of scammers, post up a fake website, read up on how to alert a hosting company that they are hosting a fake website, ask questions and learn all about the hobby of scambaiting.

[Alexa P]

I am so sorry that you had to go through this! As a legitimate online vendor, Amatyzt is hurt by crooks like this that undermine consumer confidence in online stores. Although we can't get your money back, as the owner of Amatyzt.com, if you contact me directly "alexa at amatyzt.com" I would be happy to give you a huge discount on a substitute gift from Amatyzt.com.

It looks like you already got some good advice on how to spot and report scams. So I am going to go in the opposite direction to help you understand how to spot a legitimate company.

You can check the company on sites like Webutation. A legitimate company will want people to know they are safe. Another good site to check is Widestat as it gathers info like when the site was established, when it expires, what is its Google Rank and other stats. A legitimate company invests in improving its rank with search engines and doesn't expire soon as its owners plan to be around a while. You can also check the WhoIs database to see if the owner is listed or hiding behind a hosting company for privacy. Most legitimate business owners are willing to show who they are. On the same note, does the company have a LinkedIn profile tied to an actual person? Does that person have legitimate recommendations and endorsements for other legitimate people? Is the owner of the company obvious? Is that person active online? Do they respond quickly to questions and concerns by phone, email or on social networks? Last but not least, check for press about the company. A legitimate company invests in press releases from paid services like PR Web, so that they get picked up by legitimate websites and newstations. Does the site invest in real advertising? Do they have any ads in legitimate magazines? Any celebrities with their products? Fly by night operations usually don't invest in these things because they don't offer an immediate sale, so the companies who do plan on being around for a while.