Is It Legit?
Don't Fall... for Online Scams
You know what they say: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." Granted, we work hard to bring you deals that sometimes DO seem too good to be true, but as you browse the web you may come across some pretty fantastic offers, and not all of these are legitimate. Some are there to lure you into submitting your personal information in the hopes of scoring a great deal.
These scammers like to use the names of trusted stores to get you to lower your guard. They get your credit card info, shipping and billing address, phone number, and email and you get nothing because they aren't an actual dealer with any product to ship. Unfortunately, there isn't much the real store can do about these copycat sites since anyone can register a legit-sounding domain name and create a website with it. Because most of these sites are located overseas, it's usually impossible to have the fake site taken down.
So, what can you do to make sure you'll actually go riding instead of getting taken for a ride? Here are some tips to help you spot an imposter:
1. Check for contact info
- A real business will have a phone number you can call. Call it and, if you actually get an answer, see whether they can speak knowledgeably about the products they have listed.
- If you've previously dealt with the company they're claiming to be, does the contact info match? If not, reach out to the company using the info you know is real and ask whether the site is theirs.
2. Do some reading
- How's their grammar? Since many scammers do not natively speak the language of the company they're copying, you may spot awkwardly-worded sentences. Even if they use AI to generate content with perfect spelling and grammar, it'll often feel "off" from what a legitimate company would post.
- Check a page like "About Us" or "FAQs", which should have unique content specific to that site. Is it overly generic or doesn't match the business? If it's a U.S. company, are they using British spellings or phases? (For example, cheques vs. checks when discussing accepted payments.)
3. Trust your gut
- Does the company already offer discounts on their main site? Does it make sense that they would build a second site to undercut their main site?
- Are the deals significantly better than the offers on other sites? A real site may have a few exceptional deals, but if the whole site is full of steals, well, that's probably exactly what is going to happen.
Ride safe, and shop safe!