TopKingCrab.com advertises itself as an online store specializing in crabs, especially King Crab and other crab delicacies. At first glance, the website seems legitimate – displaying pages of mouthwatering king crab legs, Maryland crabs, snow crabs and more at remarkably low prices. However, behind this façade lies a ruthless scam designed to bait unsuspecting customers into handing over their hard-earned money for products they’ll never receive.
In this guide, we will reveal how the TopKingCrab.com scam operates, provide tips on how to avoid falling victim, and explain what recourse you have if you already placed an order with them.
Overview of the TopKingCrab.com Scam
TopKingCrab.com utilizes deceptive marketing tactics to entice customers with popular seafood products listed at prices that seem almost too good to be true.
Once an order is placed and payment submitted, the website provides a fake tracking number to make customers believe their package is on the way. However, the promised crabs or other seafood never arrive. Furthermore, all attempts to contact King Crab Store’s “customer service” are ignored.
Essentially, TopKingCrab.com takes orders and payments but has no intention of fulfilling them. They pocket the money while leaving customers empty-handed.
How the TopKingCrab.com Scam Works
The scam typically operates in the following sequence:
1. Lure Customers In with Attractive Website and Low Prices
The TopKingCrab.com website is nicely designed and laid out to look like a professional online seafood market. Product pages feature appealing images of large, fresh crab accompanied by descriptions claiming they ship overnight from Alaska or straight from the seaside in Maryland.
Prices for items like King Crab legs, snow crab clusters, and Maryland crabs are listed at significant discounts compared to typical retail costs. This piques customer interest and entices them to place an order without doing further research.
2. Collect Payment and Provide Fake Tracking Number
Once a customer completes checkout and submits payment (usually a substantial amount for bulk seafood), TopKingCrab.com emails them an order confirmation with a tracking number.
The tracking number makes it appear a shipment is on its way when in reality no package ever ships. The number is not associated with any real courier service.
3. Never Ship the Order, Ignore Customer Complaints
Days and weeks go by without the customer receiving their crab order. The provided tracking number shows no actual progress through a shipping company’s system.
When the customer tries to contact King Crab Store via email or phone to inquire about the missing delivery, they receive no response. Emails bounce back and calls go unanswered or to disconnected lines.
4. Refuse Refunds and Avoid Accountability
Without ever receiving the products they paid for in good faith, scam victims try unsuccessfully to get refunds. TopKingCrab.com seems to vanish, cutting off all communication channels customers could use to demand their money back.
The company hides behind its vague policies and lack of legitimate contact info to avoid taking accountability, pockets the payments, and leaves customers empty-handed.
Red Flags at TopKingCrab.com
TopKingCrab.com displays many suspicious signs that it is a fraudulent website masquerading as a legitimate online retailer. Here are some of the red flags we found at TopKingCrab.com:
- Part of a Scam Network
Research indicates that this site is part of a broader interconnected scam network based in China. This network manages an array of fake shopping sites with the sole purpose of defrauding customers.
- Copied legal pages
The Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, About Us and other legal pages on this website appear to be copied from known scam websites. Scammers often plagiarize legal pages to make their sites seem more legitimate. However, the policies likely do not apply to this site or protect users in any meaningful way.
- Zero Contact Information
No customer service phone number, physical address, or live chat is provided by this site. This lack of contact details prevents customers from reaching the company with issues.
- Anonymous Company
This website completely lacks transparency about who owns or operates the business. Opaque sites should not be trusted with purchases or data.
- Unrealistic Discounts
Extreme discounts are used to lure shoppers. But legit companies cannot sustain such unrealistic markdowns, signaling counterfeit goods.
- Copied Content
All product info and images are stolen from other major retailers. TopKingCrab.com lacks any original content showing its illegitimacy.
- No Social Media Presence
Authentic brands maintain social media pages for customer engagement. TopKingCrab.com’s total lack of accounts is highly unusual and suspicious.
Based on the above red flags, we can conclude that TopKingCrab.com is a scam website that should be avoided by online shoppers. There is no evidence that TopKingCrab.com is a legitimate or reliable website that delivers quality products or services to its customers.
Therefore, we advise you not to shop from TopKingCrab.com or any other similar websites that display the same red flags. You will only risk losing your money and personal information to scammers who do not care about your satisfaction or safety.
How to Spot and Avoid Scam Online Shopping Websites like TopKingCrab.com
While scam sites appear convincing at first glance, several red flags can help identify their fraudulent nature:
Check for a Legitimate Domain Name and Company Details
- Fake sites often have domain names with odd spellings, extra words or use popular brand names. Search the company name online to confirm they are real.
- Check that a physical business address, working customer service phone/email are provided. Lack of real contact details indicates a shady seller.
Look for Overly Good-to-Be-True Deals
- Scam websites lure customers by advertising extravagant discounts of 50-90% off or deals well below market prices. Real businesses cannot sustain such heavy losses. If the deal looks too good to be true, it likely is.
Verify Company Reputation
- Search the website, business name and owner names online for any negative reviews or scam reports. Check with BBB, TrustPilot and complaint forums to see their reputation.
- No social media presence and zero signs of real customer activity on review sites signal likely frauds.
Analyze Site Security and Payment Options
- Ensure sites connect with SSL encryption and have guaranteed refund policies. Unsecured sites should not handle payments or sensitive data.
- Scam websites tend to only take irreversible payments like wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency and avoid credit cards with stronger fraud protections.
Spot grammar errors, plagiarized policies, limited products
- Fake sites lack effort invested into proper grammar and original legal policy writing seen on established businesses.
- Very limited product selections avoiding common best-selling items categories also indicates pop-up scams.
Carefully applying these warning signs allows shoppers to expose scam retail fronts seeking solely to exploit rather than serve legitimate customer bases built on accountability and trust.
How to Spot This Scam on Social Media
In tandem with operating entirely fake e-commerce storefronts, retail scam websites heavily leverage sponsored social media ads promoting unbelievable yet highly compelling deals up to 90% off across product ranges in attempts to lure target audiences.
Highly deceptive posts explicitly screaming too-good-to-be-true price cuts frequently overrun Facebook feeds, Instagram stories and TikTok streams with aims of deceiving deal-seeking shoppers. However, certain patterns across these advertisements expose their underlying deceitful intentions.
Spotting Fraudulent Facebook Ads
Beware of too-good-to-be-true deals in Facebook ads like “90% off” or “Free Shipping” that entice people to shop. Scammers know how lucrative Facebook’s 2 billion users can be. Warning signs of a scam Facebook shopping ad:
- Extreme discounts such as “Store Closing Sale” or “Going out of Business” that seem suspicious for a newly created page. Legitimate businesses usually don’t heavily discount new inventory.
- Language and grammatical errors or inconsistencies throughout the ad or website. This signals the scammers likely quickly generated the content.
- Generic stock images of products rather than real images. Or images with watermarks that the scammer likely didn’t have rights to use.
- Very recent Page creation date shown under the Page name. Scam sites don’t last long before users report them or Facebook removes them.
If an ad or Page sets off warning bells, search for reviews of the website before purchasing. Or reverse image search any product photos to see if they were stolen from another site. Don’t support scammers taking advantage of Facebook users.
Spotting Fraudulent Instagram Ads
Scam online shopping sites try luring Instagram users with attention-grabbing captions like “Limited Time Offer!” and enticing prices such as “Today Only $39”. But is the Instagram shop legit or a scam? Signs to help determine:
- The account has very few posts and followers. Scams setup disposable accounts that get deleted once reported.
- Check user tags on the posts. If real people aren’t shown wearing or using the products, that’s a major red flag.
- Tap on the shop link in the bio. If there’s no HTTPS or SSL certificate, it’s not secure to enter payment information.
- Reviews seem fake or non-existent. Scam sites don’t have much satisfied customer proof.
- Limited or vague return policy information. Or difficult channels to request a return.
Trust your instinct if an Instagram shop seems fishy. Check independent review sites first before buying through an unknown seller advertising on Instagram. Protect your personal and payment information entering it only on secure sites after verifying legitimacy.
Catching Fake TikTok Ads
Scam TikTok shopping sites try attracting traffic using compelling videos showcasing unbelievable deals. But amazing discounts and prices may bait unsuspecting TikTok users into a scam. Be wary of:
- Links in the caption or videos bringing users to store sites no one’s heard of. Scammers setup temporary sites that won’t be around long.
- No blue checkmark verification badge on the account. This signals TikTok hasn’t authenticated the authenticity of the seller.
- Prices drastically slashed with countdown timers pressuring purchase decisions. Scare tactics rush rational judgement.
- No reviews or evidence showing real customers enjoying the products. Easy with video testimonials to fake satisfaction.
Check comment sections on TikTok scam shopping site videos for warnings from others getting duped. When prices seem too good to be true, they most likely are. Verify legitimacy before handing payment info to unknown sellers promoting on TikTok videos. Your security comes first.
What to do if you have fallen victim to the TopKingCrab.com scam?
If you have fallen victim to this scam, you should take immediate action to protect yourself and your money. Here are some steps that you can take:
- Contact your bank immediately – Alert your bank to disputed charges and consider canceling your card to prevent further fraudulent purchases.
- Keep records – Save receipts, emails, screenshots, and any details related to the transaction. This provides proof of the scam.
- File a complaint – Report the fraud to the FTC and Internet Crime Complaint Center. Provide any relevant records.
- Leave online reviews – Post details of the scam on consumer review sites to warn others. However, don’t defame legitimate businesses.
- Report social media accounts – If the scam involved social media, report the accounts to get them removed.
- Reverse payments – If you paid with a credit card, request a chargeback. For wire transfers, contact the recipient bank to possibly reverse it.
- Check credit reports – Request credit reports to check for any accounts opened fraudulently using your information. Consider placing a credit freeze if needed.
- Reset account passwords – Change passwords on any online accounts that used the same login credentials entered on the scam site.
- Check your device for viruses – Run a Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free scan to check for any malware that may have infected your device through the site.
- Learn from the situation – Study how you were deceived so you can avoid other scams in the future.
Being vigilant against shopping scams and acting quickly when scammed can help limit financial and identity theft impact. Report it to help authorities investigate and shutdown scam sites that are still active.
TopKingCrab.com Scam – Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the TopKingCrab.com money stealing scam:
Is TopKingCrab.com a real company?
No. TopKingCrab.com is a fake online store created solely to defraud customers. No legal business exists behind the website. The photos, reviews, company information, and listed staff are fictitious.
How does TopKingCrab.com scam people?
This fraudulent site posts enticing photos of seafood like King Crab legs and Maryland Crabs offered at absurdly low prices. After victims place orders and submit payment online, no products are ever shipped. The criminals behind the site keep the money while avoiding all customer communication.
Where is TopKingCrab.com located?
TopKingCrab.com does not provide a legitimate physical address, likely to avoid accountability. The website itself is registered anonymously through proxy services. Since no real company exists, there is no actual location for TopKingCrab.com.
How can I get a refund from TopKingCrab.com?
Unfortunately, scam victims are highly unlikely to recover any money paid to this criminal website. Since TopKingCrab.com is fraudulent, its owners are untraceable and have no intention of providing refunds or crab orders. At best, you may be able to work with your bank or payment provider to dispute charges.
Are the reviews on TopKingCrab.com real?
No. While the website displays multiple 5-star reviews praising its prices, products and service, these are completely fabricated. No past customers exist because everyone who orders from the site is scammed. TopKingCrab.com creates fake reviews to further the illusion of legitimacy.
Is it safe to order from TopKingCrab.com?
Absolutely not. TopKingCrab.com is a 100% scam operation. No one should place orders or submit payments to this fraudulent website under any circumstances. All buyers will have their money stolen with nothing shipped in return.
Avoid this predatory scam site at all costs. If you encounter suspiciously cheap crab or seafood deals online, exercise extreme caution moving forward. Only order from reputable, established retailers you can thoroughly verify. Never let tempting prices or high-pressure sales tactics overrule your judgement when money is on the line.
