A fraudulent website called frankbottleau.com has been deceiving customers by impersonating the popular Australian reusable bottle company Frank Green. This scam site fraudulently uses the Frank Green name and branding to dupe victims into providing personal information and payment details.
This article will uncover how the fake frankbottleau.com site operates and provide tips to avoid becoming victimized by this egregious scam. Keep reading to learn how to identify and steer clear of this malicious website targeting fans of Frank Green products.
What is Frankbottleau.com?
Frankbottleau.com is a phishing scam masquerading as the legitimate Australian drinkware brand Frank Green. This fake site utilizes the company’s trademarks, images, and messaging to trick visitors into believing it is the real online Frank Green shop.
In reality, frankbottleau.com has no relation whatsoever to the authentic Frank Green company. The scam website fraudulently collects customers’ personal and payment information during checkout under the false pretense of selling genuine Frank Green merchandise.
Unsuspecting victims only realize they have been scammed after never receiving the items they paid for at grossly inflated prices. Their stolen credit card details may also be used for additional fraudulent charges or sold on the dark web.
This malicious website demonstrates the importance of verifying legitimacy and exercising caution when shopping online, especially when hot product names are impersonated. Keep reading to learn how to detect and avoid the frankbottleau.com scam.
How does the Frankbottleau.com scam work?
The Frankbottleau.com website scam works by luring customers with attractive offers and discounts. The scammers use various methods to promote this fake site, such as sending phishing emails, posting fake ads on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or creating fake news articles.
Frankbottleau.com looks professional and legitimate, with a secure payment system and a customer service section. However, once customers place their orders and pay with their credit cards or other methods, they either receive nothing or receive poor-quality products that do not match the description or images on the site. Customers who try to contact the site for refunds or complaints are either ignored or blocked.
Frankbottleau.com Red Flags
There are several red flags that indicate that Frankbottleau.com is a scam site. Here are some of them:
- Recently registered domain. The domain name was recently registered. This is a common sign of a scam website that is created to deceive customers for a short period of time before disappearing.
- No contact info. There is no phone number, physical address, or live chat option available. This makes it difficult for customers to reach out to the store in case of any issues or queries.
- Anonymous company: The website Frankbottleau.com lacks transparency, as it does not provide any concrete information about the company that operates it.
- Unbelievable deals : Frankbottleau.com offers unrealistic discounts and sales offers on its products. For example, you can find items that are marked down by more than 70% or even 80%. This may seem like a great deal, but it is actually a common tactic used by scammers to lure unsuspecting customers into buying low-quality or counterfeit goods.
- Copied Content: Frankbottleau.com has stolen most of its content and product images from other legitimate online stores like Alibaba, Amazon, or Aliexpress. This shows that the website has no originality or credibility and is trying to deceive customers with fake products.
- No social media: Frankbottleau.com has no social media presence or links to any social media platforms. This is unusual for an online store that claims to offer trendy and fashionable products. Social media is an essential way for online businesses to interact with their customers, showcase their products, and build trust and credibility. The absence of social media activity and engagement suggests that Frankbottleau.com is hiding something or does not care about customer satisfaction.
- Customer complaints: Customers have reported issues such as delayed or missing deliveries, poor customer service, defective or wrong products, difficulty in getting refunds, and unauthorized charges on their credit cards.
Based on the above red flags, we can conclude that Frankbottleau.com is a scam website that should be avoided by online shoppers. There is no evidence that Frankbottleau.com is a legitimate or reliable website that delivers quality products or services to its customers.
Customers who have shopped from Frankbottleau.com have reported that they either did not receive their orders at all or received different or inferior products than what they ordered. They also complained that they could not contact Frankbottleau.com for a refund or exchange because the email address provided was invalid or unresponsive.
Therefore, we advise you not to shop from Frankbottleau.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 Frankbottleau.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 Frankbottleau.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.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Frankbottleau.com is a scam website that you should avoid at all costs. It has many red flags that indicate that it is not trustworthy or reliable. Do not waste your time or money on this website, as you will likely end up disappointed or scammed.
