Discounts-Shops.com is a fraudulent online store that you should avoid at all costs. This scam website claims to sell various products at very low prices, but will either send you counterfeit or inferior goods, or nothing at all.
This article will uncover how the Discounts-Shops.com scam operates, red flags to watch for, and most importantly, tips to protect yourself from being ripped off by this scam site and others like it.
This Article Contains:
Scam Overview
On the surface, Discounts-Shops.com appears to be a legitimate online retailer selling various discounted items to shoppers at prices significantly lower than major retailers. However, in reality, Discounts-Shops.com is a scam website that engages in deceptive tactics to trick customers into placing orders and handing over their money or sensitive personal information.
Scammers behind Discounts-Shops.com use spam emails and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to promote the site and lure in victims. This fraudulent site uses incredibly low prices and stolen product images to entice unsuspecting shoppers.
Once victims place orders and submit payment information, the scammers simply take the money and run. Customers are left with one of the following outcomes:
- Nothing at all – The most common outcome. Orders go unfulfilled and simply disappear after payments are processed.
- Knock-off or inferior substitutes – Victims may receive cheap replicas made with poor-quality materials that do not match the original product descriptions.
- Used, damaged, or tampered goods – In some cases, victims report receiving items that are clearly used, broken, or otherwise tampered with, showing that no new products are being shipped.
- Completely wrong items – Some orders arrive with products that are completely different from what was ordered, demonstrating no order accuracy.
On top of selling sham goods or no goods at all, Discounts-Shops.com also unscrupulously collects customers’ personal and financial data during checkout, including full names, home addresses, phone numbers, credit card details, and more. This information is likely used or sold for nefarious purposes like identity theft, credit card fraud, or sharing on dark web marketplaces.
Our research indicates Discounts-Shops.com is likely part of a larger interconnected scam network based in China. This network operates countless fake online retail sites with the sole intent of defrauding customers.
Red flags show this is an illegitimate business. Legal pages are copied and lack real policies. No contact info is provided to reach customer service. The website owners are anonymous. Unrealistic discounts up to 90% off aim to bait shoppers. All product info is stolen from major retailers. There is no social media presence.
In conclusion, we advise you to stay away from this dishonest website. Do not fall for the attractive discounts that are used to bait you. The product images are not genuine, and the customer service is nonexistent. You can protect yourself by avoiding Discounts-Shops.com and similar sites.
How the Discounts-Shops.com Scam Store Operates
Now that we’ve established this is a scam, let’s break down exactly how their deceptive scheme operates at each stage:
1. Social Media Advertising
The cornerstone of their strategy involves aggressively pushing ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Catchy slogans like “Warehouse Sale”, “Limited Time Deals”, and “Going Out of Business” combined with professional creative aim to convince people they’re legitimate. In reality, these ads are only designed to drive traffic to their scam storefronts.
2. The Illusion of a Real Ecommerce Store
Clicking through the ad brings visitors to a website dressed up to mimic a real online retailer. High-quality templates displaying products across various categories, combined with fake reviews and policies, aim to reassure visitors.
In fact, everything is fabricated to exploit human psychology – the countdown timers, claims of limited quantities, and urgent calls to act now. This plants the idea that it’s a legit limited-time opportunity.
3. Fake Order Confirmations
Once a purchase is made, whether via credit card or other methods, most buyers receive a confirmation email stating their order has been received and payment processed successfully.
This makes victims believe everything is normal, though nothing could be shipped yet. In many cases, this is the last customers ever hear from them.
4. Failure to Deliver Ordered Items
Despite the deceptive order confirmation, the overwhelming majority of customers end up receiving absolutely nothing from the Discounts-Shops.com store.
Weeks go by without any shipping confirmation or updates. Emails and calls go unreturned. The seller simply cuts off all communication after taking payment.
In some cases, victims may eventually receive a delivery, but it’s never the correct high-quality product that was advertised and purchased. Instead, buyers often report getting a random, cheap item totally unlike what they ordered – for example, a pair of sunglasses or a cheap ring.
5. Refusal to Issue Refunds
Attempts to contact the company about erroneous or missing items are met with silence or claims that “the order was confirmed” already. They provide no way to return wrong items and staunchly refuse to issue refunds.
Filing claims with payment providers rarely works either, as the merchant accounts are typically shut down after enough disputes. Users are left empty handed.
6. Rinse and Repeat
Once Discounts-Shops.com accumulates enough negative reviews and complaints, the scammers simply rebrand with a new name and repeat the process. They recycle the same scheme indefinitely, profiting off each wave of unsuspecting buyers before getting flagged.
This cycle persists thanks to the reach of social media advertising combined with the low overhead of fabricating sites. Shutting down each iteration proves challenging, allowing these frauds to persist.
Red Flags at Discounts-Shops.com
Discounts-Shops.com displays many suspicious signs that it is a fraudulent website masquerading as a legitimate online retailer. Savvy shoppers should watch for these red flags:
- 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. Discounts-Shops.com lacks any original content showing its illegitimacy.
- No Social Media Presence
Authentic brands maintain social media pages for customer engagement. Discounts-Shops.com’s total lack of accounts is highly unusual and suspicious.
Based on the above red flags, we can conclude that Discounts-Shops.com is a scam website that should be avoided by online shoppers. There is no evidence that Discounts-Shops.com is a legitimate or reliable website that delivers quality products or services to its customers.
Therefore, we advise you not to shop from Discounts-Shops.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 These Scam Websites
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 Already Fell For the 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.
How to Avoid Online Shopping Scams
When shopping online, always vet sites carefully before making purchases or submitting personal data. Watch for these red flags:
- Unbelievable discounts over 75% or 90% off
- Alarming sales pitches like “going out of business”
- Only contact method is email – no phone number
- No social media links or signs of real-world presence
- Website recently created and content looks copied
- Details like address seem fictional or suspicious
Do not waste time or money shopping at Discounts-Shops.com. You will likely end up with compromised personal data, fraudulent charges, or no products at all. Only shop at reputable online retailers to avoid scams.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the signs Discounts-Shops.com is a scam?
Red flags include no contact info, prices too good to be true, and copied product info.
Is it safe to shop at Discounts-Shops.com?
No. Discounts-Shops.com is an unsafe website exhibiting multiple scam characteristics. They likely sell counterfeit items or nothing at all.
What should I do if I placed an order on Discounts-Shops.com?
Contact your bank and credit card company to report fraudulent charges and have new cards issued. Monitor accounts closely for misuse of stolen financial data.
How do I report Discounts-Shops.com?
Fake online shopping sites like Discounts-Shops.com should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission via their reportfraud.ftc.gov website. When filing your complaint, select “Online Shopping” as the issue and provide as much detail as possible about the fraudulent Discounts-Shops.com site so authorities can fully investigate.
What are the odds of getting money back from Discounts-Shops.com?
If you made a purchase from Discounts-Shops.com using a credit card, you have a high chance of getting your money back through a bank chargeback. Once your bank verifies the purchase came from a fraudulent site, the chargeback will likely be approved and the funds returned to you.
Can scammers from Discounts-Shops.com steal your identity?
If you provided any login or personal information to Discounts-Shops.com, identity theft is a risk. However, if you changed passwords, enabled two-factor authentication, and placed fraud alerts, your accounts should remain secure. Scammers won’t be able to access your accounts or apply for loans in your name without passing verification.
Is it possible to get infected with malware from the scam?
Yes, Discounts-Shops.com poses a high malware risk since you may have entered sensitive information on the site. You could start receiving phishing emails with infected attachments. Use antivirus software like Malwarebytes to detect and remove any malware.
What are the signs of an online retail scam?
Red flags include big discounts, new domains, private registrations, stock photos, lack of reviews, missing policies, grammatical errors, and requests for unnecessary personal data.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Discounts-Shops.com is a scam shopping website that should be avoided at all costs. This fraudulent site follows a common scam formula: entice customers with unrealistic deals, collect payment and personal information, and then never fulfill orders. The website has all the red flags of an online shopping scam, including no legitimate contact information, stolen product images, and copied legal pages. If you come across Discounts-Shops.com or other deals that seem too good to be true, trust your instincts. Protect yourself, your money, and your information by steering clear of this deceptive platform masquerading as a shop. Stick to well-known e-commerce sites and be wary of rock-bottom prices to avoid being the victim of a scam.
If you have shopped on Discounts-Shops.com, we want to hear about your experience! Leave a comment below describing whether you received your ordered items as advertised or experienced any fraud from this website. Your feedback will help warn others about the potential risks this company poses.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional, financial or legal advice. The content is intended for general information and should not be construed as definitive guidance. Information contained herein is subject to change without notice. If you are the owner of the website in question and wish to offer clarifications regarding your business or website, please reach out to us through the provided Contact Form.
