Have you seen those tempting social media ads offering once-in-a-lifetime clearance sales on big ticket Best Buy items like TVs, laptops, and smartphones for up to 90% off? As unbelievable as the deals may seem, these viral promotions claiming to be from Best Buy are a complete scam designed to steal money and information from unsuspecting shoppers.
Read on to uncover how these sophisticated Best Buy scams work and how to avoid becoming a victim. You’ll learn the key signs to look for across scam websites, Facebook ads, Instagram posts, and more to protect yourself from these deceptive clearance sale campaigns targeting bargain hunters. Don’t let the allure of markdowns on Best Buy goods lead you into traps set by opportunistic fraudsters.
An Overview of the Best Buy Clearance Sale Scam
The Best Buy name carries weight with shoppers given their reputation as a top electronics and appliance retailer. Scammers seek to hijack this credibility by setting up fake websites, social media pages, and online ads that closely mimic Best Buy’s official branding and shopping experience.
These imposter sites will feature the familiar blue and yellow Best Buy logo and showcase well-known products like Samsung phones, Sony TVs, HP laptops, and Apple watches. The product imagery is usually stolen directly from the real Best Buy catalog to add further legitimacy.
The scam sites entice visitors with mentions of unbelievable markdowns like “90% off clearance sale” and “going out of business blowout deals”. Prices seem unbeatable, such as $500 TVs advertised for just $49 or $1,000 smartphones for only $99.
Of course these near-free prices are completely bogus and are the first indicator that something fishy is going on. But the scammers bank on the power of Best Buy’s reputation to convince shoppers the liquidation sales are authentic.
The deceptive clearance sales also spread rapidly through sponsored posts on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Fraudsters will pay to promote fake Best Buy ads loaded with eye-catching messaging around the deep discounts and limited quantity offers.
When social media users see these ads in their feeds and click through, they are sent to the network of scam websites specifically built by the scammers to deceive and steal from victims.
These fraudulent sites allow shoppers to fill their carts seemingly getting laptops for $29, cameras for $39, and smartwatches for $19. But no merchandise will ever arrive. Any payments are simply pocketed by the criminals.
At best, victims may receive a cheap Chinese knockoff like a flimsy $5 set of headphones instead of the $300 Beats they ordered. This allows the scammers to claim they fulfilled the order, even though the product is not even remotely as advertised.
By mimicking Best Buy’s trusted branding and using persuasive wording around limited-time sales, the scammers easily fool legions of bargain-seeking shoppers. Their only goal is making off with credit card and personal information provided on the fake sites.
How the Elaborate Best Buy Scam Works to Deceive Victims
The criminals running these fake Best Buy clearance scams go through a number of calculated steps to successfully pull off their ploy:
1. Setting Up Convincing Duplicate Websites
The scammers invest significant time and resources into creating imitation Best Buy websites that strongly resemble the look, feel, and functionality of the real Bestbuy.com site.
They’ll use domain names extremely similar to the real one, typically adding additional keywords like “outlet”, “store”, “shop”, or “official” in the URL. For example:
- BestBuyOutletStore.com
- BestBuyOfficialShop.com
- BestBuyWarehouse.com
These fake sites feature the familiar royal blue theme, Best Buy’s yellow tag logo, images of featured sales items, and a category-based product catalog just like the real site.
The scammers illegally scrape and steal product photos, pricing, descriptions, and other content directly from BestBuy.com to populate their imitation sites. This makes them appear fully stocked with electronics, appliances, movies, music, and more.
To the average visitor quickly browsing or clicking from a social ad, the criminal’s site gives the impression of being a legitimate alternate Best Buy page rather than an elaborate scam.
But upon closer inspection, key indicators are missing like customer service contact information, physical addresses for stores, and links to verified social media accounts.
2. Promoting Fake Clearance Sales Through Social Media Ads
Once the network of imitation sites is ready, the fraudsters launch large-scale advertising campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok promoting their fake Best Buy clearance sales.
These social media ads are targeted towards users who “Like” or follow electronics brands, shop frequently online, use retail apps, and have interests related to deal hunting.
The ads feature urgent messaging around “blowout deals”, “limited inventory”, and “going out of business” sales. They’ll highlight coveted products like iPhones, gaming laptops, and 4K TVs at absurdly low clearance prices.
For example, a $2,000 MacBook Pro advertised for just $99 or a $600 Dyson vacuum for only $29. These attention-grabbing ads aim to drive traffic to the scam websites by exploiting people’s desire for outrageous deals.
3. Duping Shoppers with Deals That Seem Real
When social media users click on these compelling ads, they are sent to one of the fake Best Buy websites specifically created for this scam. Unaware it’s a fraudulent site, visitors browse what appears to be a legitimate electronics outlet.
They see familiar brands like Samsung, Sony, LG, Beats, and more all with convincing discounts of 70-90% off thanks to the “store closing” or “clearance” sales.
Prices like $500 TVs for $49, $1,000 phones for $79, or $2,000 laptops for $199 seem totally feasible given Best Buy’s reputation for sales. So victims trust the sites and make purchases.
The scammers also tout “limited time only” and “going fast” warnings to create urgency around snapping up the deals before inventory sells out. This further pressures victims to check out quickly.
4. Stealing Credit Card Details and Money from Shoppers
Once a customer places items in their cart and goes through the checkout process, they’ll enter personal details like name, address, and credit card information not realizing the site is a scam.
The imitation payment forms and confirmation screens closely mimic the real BestBuy.com to complete the ruse. Victims will receive an order confirmation but no merchandise ever ships out.
At best, some may receive a cheap $5 case or pair of knockoff electronics headphones just so the scammers can claim they fulfilled something.
Meanwhile, the criminals either pocket any credit card payments processed or sell the stolen card numbers in bulk on the dark web to other fraudsters. Either way, the shopper ends up losing money and exposing sensitive data.
5. Quickly Launching New Sites to Evade Detection
Before a particular fake Best Buy website gains too much notoriety and starts getting blacklisted, the scammers quickly launch dozens more with slightly different names.
They continually register new domains, set up scam stores, and initiate fresh social advertising campaigns to stay ahead of blacklists and scam alerts. This allows their bait-and-switch operation to continue uninterrupted.
Rinse and repeat. These coordinated steps enable the scammers to successfully dupe untold numbers of bargain-seeking shoppers through convincing websites impersonating major retail brands.
By mirroring trusted companies like Best Buy so closely, the criminals exploit blind spots in consumers’ skepticism to play directly into wishful thinking around scooping up ridiculous deals.
How to Spot the Fake Best Buy Websites
While the criminals behind these clearance sale scams go to great lengths to mimic the real BestBuy.com, their fake websites do leave behind certain clues that can expose them as fraudulent to savvy shoppers.
Here are the top signs to look for when assessing if a supposed Best Buy site is an imposter scam page:
Recently Registered Domain Names
A quick domain name registration check often reveals these sham Best Buy websites were recently created, typically within the past few months.
The fraudsters constantly put up new websites to rip people off, then abandon them once word spreads they are fake operations. They opt for cheap, disposable site options rather than invest in and maintain legitimate looking domains long-term.
Tools like WhoIs domain lookup let you see when any website was first registered. If it was just created in the past few months, likelihood is high it’s an illegitimate scam site.
Suspicious URLs Attempting to Mimic
The website URLs themselves tend to be a big giveaway, as they try appearing almost identical to BestBuy.com through slight modifications. Be wary of sites containing additional terms like:
- “Official”
- “Outlet”
- “Shop”
- “Store”
- “Warehouse”
For example:
- BestBuyOfficialShop.com
- BestBuyOutletStore.com
- BestBuyWarehouseClearance.com
Basically if it’s not the exact BestBuy.com domain, use extra caution before providing any personal information or payment details through the site.
Plagiarized Site Content
The imitation sites feature online store templates very similar to BestBuy.com, just without the custom details. All the product photos, descriptions, and pricing are scraped without authorization.
Reverse image searches reveal the TVs, laptops, headphones, and other items are stolen from the real Best Buy e-commerce catalog and used illegally. Obviously a legitimate retailer would not use 100% plagiarized content.
Implausible Discount Deals
As outlined already, the #1 red flag is deals too good to be true like 90% off 4K smart TVs or $2,000 laptops for $99. These promotions clearly indicate an illegitimate scam page.
Other suspicious terms used are “Going out of business” and “Limited time only,” both aimed at pressuring visitors to snap up the unrealistic deals before they disappear.
No Physical Contact Information
Highly telling indicators are a lack of any customer service phone number, physical address, store locations list, or other valid contact methods beyond an email.
This allows the scammers to avoid revealing themselves while still collecting visitor information through order forms. No legitimate major retailer operates without providing multiple ways for shoppers to contact them.
Spotting the fake Best Buy websites comes down to looking for minor details that seem off or not quite right. Use scrutiny before handing over any sensitive personal or financial data through sites promoting unbelievable price cuts.
How to Spot the Fake Macy’s Sales on Social Media
In addition to the network of fake websites, a big part of this scam involves fraudulent sponsored ads across social platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Learning the common traits of the fake ads can prevent you from falling victim when you encounter them in your feeds and stories.
How to Detect the Scam on Facebook
The Facebook ads are made to look identical to real Best Buy promotions, featuring their logos, product imagery, and eye-catching captions around clearance sales. But some giveaways indicate it’s a fraudulent ad:
- Drastic “90% off” discounts in bold text
- Buzzwords like “blowout deals” and “limited quantity”
- Prices specifically like $29, $39, $49 for expensive items
- Comment sections disabled on posts
- Page names containing “Official” or “Outlet”
- Links go to fake sites instead of BestBuy.com
For example, a Facebook ad may promote a $600 iPad for just $29 during a “store closing” clearance event! But the absurdly low price indicates it’s a scam preying on people’s impulse for a good deal.
Recognizing Fraudulent Ads on YouTube
YouTube ads from scammers will mimic Best Buy promos as well. Signs it’s a fake YouTube ad include:
- Video titles too good to be true like “90% off Best Buy sale”
- Animated or slideshow ads with stock content
- Link goes to scam website URL
- Comments turned off on the video
- Channel name trying to mimic Best Buy
The videos solely exist as a conduit to steer viewers to the network of fake sites to steal credit cards and money. Don’t trust unbelievable YouTube ads.
Avoiding Instagram Clearance Sale Scams
Fraudulent Instagram accounts post images of Best Buy products with huge markdowns like “80% off clearance sale today only!” using special characters and emojis to grab attention.
But you can identify deceptive Instagram ads by:
- Brand new account with only sale promotions
- No contact email or number listed
- Username with “Deals” “Outlet” or “Sales”
- Link goes to sketchy URL instead of BestBuy.com
- Comment section turned off
- Image of item likely stolen from Best Buy
Apply extra scrutiny to Instagram ads from accounts you don’t recognize pushing outrageous discounts on coveted items. Verify legitimacy first.
Don’t Trust AI-Generated TikTok Videos
On TikTok, the scammers use short AI-generated video clips showing fake Best Buy stores with customers and products to advertise massive savings. But true giveaways it’s not real:
- Brand new TikTok account
- Username containing “Official” or “Outlet”
- Shows no real people or locations
- Video promotes deals too good to be true
- Link goes to shady website
The artificial videos are created entirely by AI to promote the fake discounts. No genuine TikTok creator would produce such deceptive content.
Stay skeptical of unbelievable social media and website offers claiming to be from major retailers. Apply extra scrutiny before clicking or buying to avoid falling victim to scam clearance sale ads.
What to Do if You Fall Victim to the Fake Best Buy Sales
If you unfortunately placed an order or provided payment details on one of the deceptive Best Buy scam websites, follow these steps to mitigate damages:
1. Contact Your Credit Card Provider Immediately
Call your credit card company and inform them you believe you were a victim of fraud. Request to begin a chargeback case so any unauthorized charges can potentially be reversed. Provide transaction records showing you never received items purchased.
2. Inform the Real Best Buy of the Scam Sites
Best Buy has a security team dedicated to identifying fake websites misusing their brand. Contact them to report any suspicious sites you encountered. This helps Best Buy take legal action to get fraudulent sites shut down quicker.
3. Reset Passwords on Accounts
If you used the same password on the scam site as any other accounts, reset your passwords immediately. Assume your credentials are compromised. Enable two-factor authentication wherever possible as well.
4. Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Report
Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to place a 90-day credit fraud alert on your account. This makes it harder for scammers to open new credit lines in your name if information is stolen.
5. Monitor Your Credit Reports and Statements Closely
Carefully review your credit reports from the bureaus for any signs of suspicious new accounts opened in your name. Also watch bank and credit card statements closely for any unusual charges. Report anything suspicious promptly.
6. Submit Complaints to Relevant Agencies
File formal complaints with the FTC, FBI, IC3, state attorneys general, and organizations like the Better Business Bureau so your experience is on record. Provide any details that may aid investigations into shutting down the scam sites.
7. Post Warnings on Social Media
Share your experience on social networks to make connections aware of the clearance sale scam. Reporting on consumer sites helps get the word out as well. This prevents others from falling for the fake discounts.
Taking quick action helps limit the fallout from providing data to fraudulent sites and reduces risks of identity theft. And greater awareness of the deceptive tactics makes these scammers jobs harder overall.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fake Best Buy Clearance Sales
1. Are the Best Buy 90% off sales I see on social media real?
No. Any ads or posts promoting Best Buy clearance items at 90% off or other too-good-to-be-true discounts are scams. Best Buy runs legitimate sales, but the extreme low prices in these ads always indicate a fraudulent advertisement.
2. What happens if I order from the imitation Best Buy websites?
In most cases, your credit card will be charged but you’ll never receive the product you ordered. Or you may receive a cheap counterfeit item far inferior to what was pictured and described. Either way, you lose money and get nothing remotely close to the advertised deal.
3. How can I identify a fake Best Buy website?
Fake sites can be spotted by looking for red flags like recently registered domains, lack of contact info, prices that are unrealistic, and stolen product imagery. See the “How to Spot Fake Sites” section above for a full checklist.
4. Why does Best Buy allow these scam websites?
Best Buy does not authorize or benefit from these fraudulent websites and social media accounts. They are created entirely by opportunistic scammers seeking to exploit Best Buy’s brand recognition. Best Buy actively works to get fake sites using their name shut down.
5. Is it illegal to purchase from the imitation sites?
While technically illegal, the victims of these scams are generally not the ones who face legal consequences. The scammers creating the deceptive websites and ads are the ones committing crimes.
6. How can I get my money back if I was scammed?
You should immediately contact your credit card company and request the charges be reversed under a chargeback program. Provide evidence showing you never received the purchased item.
7. What’s the best way to report a fraudulent Best Buy website?
Use the real Best Buy contact info to notify their security team about any suspicious sites you find misusing their name and branding. You can also file complaints with the FTC.
8. How do I avoid getting duped by these clearance scams?
Only shop through the official BestBuy.com website and mobile app. Be very wary of social media ads promoting discounts over 50-60% off. And understand absurdly low prices are always a scam tactic.
9. Why does Best Buy attract so many scam websites?
With Best Buy’s reputation as a top electronics retailer, scammers know they can exploit that brand familiarity to make their fake discounts enticing for victims. Best Buy’s fame makes them a prime target.
10. Do other big retailers also face this clearance scam?
Yes, the same type of scam targets many major stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Target, and more. Always scrutinize big discounts and verify site legitimacy no matter the retailer.
Apply caution to avoid getting duped by the many fake Best Buy websites, pages, and ads using unrealistic discounts to lure in victims. Only trust the real BestBuy.com for your purchases.
The Bottom Line – Shop Smarter to Avoid Fake Best Buy Sales
The outlandish discounts like 90% off the latest iPhones or 4K TVs for $49 should set off immediate alarm bells. But scammers rely on human psychology that makes these deals enticing. Who wouldn’t want the new iPhone for practically free?
This makes it critical to override wishful thinking and apply careful scrutiny when you encounter unbelievable Best Buy offers online. Verify it’s the real BestBuy.com site. Check for valid contact info. And understand prices that seem too good to be true always are.
With electronics counterfeits flooding the market, don’t take chances providing payment details unless 100% certain of a website’s legitimacy. Limit risk by only shopping directly through BestBuy.com or their official app. If you do get duped by deceptive ads or offers, act swiftly to limit damage.
Staying vigilant for common red flags and resisting impulse clicks goes a long way towards shopping more securely. We can beat these fraudsters at their own game if we educate ourselves on their underhanded techniques. Don’t let them exploit yet another beloved brand at loyal shoppers’ expense.
