ALERT: $34.99 XBox 360, PS3, and $19.99 Wii websites are a scam! If you have placed an order at any site in the list below (see "Known Domains"), you need to immediately change your card number and dispute the charge to protect your account! Also, you must file a report at
http://www.ic3.gov/ and
http://www.ftc.gov/ to get the attention of the federal government.
This is one part public service announcement, one part catch-all post for everything known about the scam, and one part historical archive for information I've found about a recent internet scam selling (supposedly) Wii's for $19.99, XBox 360's for $34.99, and PS3's for $34.99. I'll edit and add to sections of this post -- especially the list of known domains -- as more information becomes available.
The Low-Down:
I saw the site as a sponsored link on a legit website I sometimes visit (BRE Software - they sell replacement game manuals and cases - totally legit stuff). So, I followed the link and was interested that the site, this "360sforcheap.com", looked authentic. The page announced that they are selling refurbished XBox 360's for $34.99, claiming they work, come with a warranty, and (in the "FAQ" fine print) are cheap because you answer a bunch of surveys.
I used a card with a $0 balance, and one I could cancel or change on a moments notice, to check it out. Really, I expected an additional confirmation page before the order was actually submitted, plus more information about the "surveys" I could take note of without actually completing the transaction. At first, I even tried "fake" card info, just to see how far in it would go. No luck. And real info was charged immediately - no confirmation, no additional notices or chances to back out.
My findings so far are below.
Known Domains:
The websites have been put up (and taken or forced down, subsequently) as part of the same scam:
http://www.360sforcheap.com/ (360sforcheap.com) OFFLINE
http://www.waycheap360.com/ (waycheap360.com) PARKED
http://www.buyxbox360s.com/ (buyxbox360s.com) PARKED
http://www.refurbishedxbox360s.com/ (refurbishedxbox360s) OFFLINE
http://www.1cheapps3.com/ (1cheapps3) OFFLINE
http://www.35dollarxbox360.com/ (35dollarxbox360.com) STILL ACTIVE
http://www.cheapestplaystation3.com/ (cheapestplaystation3.com) PARKED
http://www.wiisforless.com/ (wiisforless.com) PARKED
http://www.cheapestwii.com/ (cheapestwii.com) OFFLINE
http://www.getacheap360.com/ (getacheap360.com) OFFLINE
http://www.ps3-bargains.com/ (ps3-bargains.com) STILL ACTIVE
http://www.wiisforless.com/ (wiisforless.com) PARKED
http://www.refurbishedwiis.com/ (refurbishedwiis.com) STILL ACTIVE
http://www.buyaxbox360online.com/ (buyaxbox360online.com) STILL ACTIVE
Evidence:
This is a completely fake, scam, fraudulent organization. Nobody who has ordered from any of the sites listed above have actually received the console they paid for, even weeks later. Nobody. And if reports are correct, the scammer is "selling" about a thousand a day.
I'll revise this post to include new facts as I come across them.
1) Much of the site was ripped off from
http://www.360-pros.com - which appears to be legit (at least, their prices look legit, and they speak out against the fraud site on their main page). The fake site was ripped off from
http://www.360-pros.com/xbox-360-refurbished.aspx - removing most of the authentic images/links, though.
Note that some of the sites, such as 35dollarxbox360.com, use the same info and layout, but slightly different images. They appear to be part of the same scam, but it's a little interesting that the sites aren't identical.
2) The credit card "order" page asks for your billing address, but not a shipping address. Come on. Really? Everybody receives shipments at the same place their credit card is billed? No.
3) They have a "Hacker Safe" logo which is just a locally-hosted image. That kind of defeats its purpose.
4) Their active domain(s) are registered using some "anonymous" proxy service. So basically, it's a proxy to hide a name that's already fake. Some of them which have been cancelled by the registrar are showing the real registrant information (see farther below), but this still appears to have been fake.
5) There are no "surveys" to fill out, despite what the FAQ says.
6) Entering your info on their "tracking" form gives the same bogus junk that has been reported by others who placed an order, with dates possibly adjusted for your order date:
Quote:
xx-xx-2008 ORDER RECEIVED BY FULFILLMENT DEPARTMENT
xx-xx-2008 INVENTORY PROCESSING - AWAITING BULK SHIPMENT FROM WAREHOUSE 14
7) Supposedly, the consoles are shipped in 1 or 2 days from Asia. Yeah... and $35 would barely cover the shipping cost. Their offer includes free shipping, so you do the math on that.
8) When you check the registration date of the domain (before they're shut down, I mean), it's always within just a few days. One forum poster elsewhere noticed that the domain had actually been registered the prior day. If you go to a website offering $34.99 XBOX's and the domain was only registered the day before, chances are, it's a scam...
9) Their registrar, GODADDY.COM, appears to be pulling their domains off after a few days. One of them, 360sforcheap.com, actually shows what looks to be non-proxy (but still fake) registrant information:
Consoles4Less
4771 Bayou Blvd
Pensacola, Florida 32504
United States
Baker, Stewart
(877) 418-3392
stewartbaker235@yahoo.com
10) At least one domain, buyxbox360s.com, isn't registered through GODADDY:
http://whois.domaintools.com/buyxbox360s.comAccording to this, they're registered through ANSWERABLE.COM. It's also interesting to note that the IP address shows as being "Russian Federation - Masterhost" -- whatever that means. I saw the same thing on the WHOIS info for proxy domains they registered through GODADDY.COM as well. This is probably referring to their web host rather than the registrar, meaning that the web server may be physically located in Russia.
WHOIS info on this one is different than the other, but most likely just as fake:
Joshua Niles
2404 Cedar Springs Rd
Dallas, Texas 75201
miles.joshua@yahoo.com
Tel. +001.2148555972
Updated: The registrar on that domain is now "DYNADOT, LLC". Basically, this registrar and "whois" information is probably only useful for a short period of time (before they move or change it) or for historical purposes.
11) When the charge is billed, it shows up as gaming-plugins.com. This appears to be a dead or defunct domain in Florida. It's possible the scammer is affiliated with the original owner of that domain, or perhaps the scammer has simply compromised their merchant account to process credit card payments. I don't really know.
The exact credit card billed entry is:
Quote:
WWW.GAMING-PLUGINS.COM 8503085489 FL
12) The DNS servers for 360sforcheap.com are now NS1.SUSPENDED-FOR.SPAM-AND-ABUSE.COM.
13) It's a pretty dirty scam because they're not hidden. You can find them everywhere, and each new domain seems to be covered with paid advertising via Google (and maybe others). So, people can see this at the top or side of legitimate gaming (and even non-gaming) sites! You follow the link from a legit site, see a page that (until you scrutinize it) looks legit, think $34.99 is too good to pass up even on the off chance it's a scam, don't really think about the consequences, and order. And they have you.
Here's a good example -- a sponsored link at the top of The Washington Post!!!
14) The phone number listed, 877-418-3392, also comes up on this seemingly unrelated site:
http://onlinecatholicstore.com/content.php?pagename=faqThey (the scammers) have since switched to listing 866-350-4454 as their toll-free number.
15) The 877 toll-free number posted goes straight to a full voicemail box. The 866 number (currently) rings to an answering machine that pretends to be corporate voice mail. It sounded like there were two different female voices (the first more convincingly "professional" than the second). The first notifies you that all associates were busy, and apprises you of your options. There is only one option -- "1". See, it's an answering machine where you can set up mailboxes. They have those, you know. Anyway, you hit "1" and hear the second voice, briefly, and then (if I remember correctly) a notice that the mailbox is full.
Updated: The 866 number still goes to an answering machine, but the messages have changed some (as of 8/5/2008), making me think they're still actively working the scam. The opening voice identifes them as "Consoles For Less" (see registrant information above), but is careful not to mention a specific domain name (probably since they have several and change so frequently).
16) So far, I've only seen one mention of a victim being charged more than $34.99 (and it appears to have been a double-charge). In other words, the moment you fall for a scam, it doesn't appear that the scammer is draining your balance or charging up your card (even days later). It could be that they're sliding by on the abundance of $34.99 payments they're raking in. It could be that they're not keeping your credit card number at all, but then again, they might. Don't risk it.
17) Some guy on eBay is actually selling so-called gift certificates with info on how to purchase a $34.99 XBOX or PS3 from one or more of these scam domains:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0258885279 (Item #330258885279 for XBOX 360 "discount certificate")
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0258888647 (Item #330258888647 for PS3 "discount certificate")
His eBay ID is du-hast-du-hast, and his feedback prior to these auctions looks okay. This could even be some other scammer, not involved in the actual scam, but trying to profit from it in his own way (or, perhaps even believing it's legit but trying to turn a buck by "selling" the website URL's to people who haven't already found them elsewhere). I've reported the auctions to eBay, but that usually doesn't accomplish much.
Updated: Both auctions have been removed as of 8/6/2008, and the seller is currently NARU ("Not a Registered User"). Kudos to eBay!
18) I've attached a file containing all the pages from
http://www.refurbished360s.com to this message (captured before they were shut down -- but it appears to be the same as their other sites). These are Internet Explorer pages saved in .MHT (full page) format.
19) Some of the sites share the same "database" for looking up an order status, but not all. For instance, an order placed on 360sforcheap.com is a valid number at buyxbox360s.com, but is not found using the same "order status" form at refurbishedxbox360s.com. This is evidence that they're recycling the same site with different domains (possibly when one gets shut down), yet they have more than one copy of the site (or more than one server) running with it too.
20) According to one source, this scam is run by the same individual or group that operates
http://www.wow-dupe.com (and others). Information was put up about it here:
http://wow.scammer.exposed.googlepages.com/It seems likely that there's something to it. The both show up as "
www.gaming-plugins.com" (merchant account name). According to this source, the man's real name is John Burgess, and this "cheap refurbished console" scam is just his most recent endeavor.
Discussions:
Here are other message and/or answer boards where this scam has been discussed, and where some victims have told their stories:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 341AA3XglA
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 246AAFyRMx
http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/sho ... hp?t=17729
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/textthr ... 84&print=1
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=49289http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=49169http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=49117http://www.overclock.net/xbox/360076-re ... legit.html
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/3 ... 350707.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/3 ... 350907.htm
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthr ... ?p=1093989
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-418-3392http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1032767960http://www.madden-school.com/360-tech-f ... 0-t808.htm
http://www.419legal.org/ecommerce-aucti ... s-com.html
http://www.firetrust.com/en/comment/reply/449http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/sh ... d=26484299
http://forums.gametrailers.com/showthread.php?t=469603http://www.360voice.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13360http://gamebattles.com/forums/t/1426612.htmlhttp://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_www.refurb ... it_website
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?s=8af230de ... opic=98000
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=408112http://gbatemp.net/index.php?act=Print& ... 07&t=98000
What To Do!
Now, with all this info, you're probably thinking of course it's a scam! Even the price gives it away, right? Well, it looks like people have fallen for it (like I said, I even "ordered" one myself, before checking into it further), and in my opinion, you should not only dispute the charge immediately with your credit card company (if you haven't already), but also close the card! Or, at the very least, report that your information has been stolen, and request a new card with a different number.
Sadly, I had to talk to two or three different people at my bank to get any resolution on this. The first, in their so-called "Fraud" departement (and this is Capital One -- not some mom-and-pop bank) told me there wasn't anything I could do, and that the "merchant" was free to make whatever future charges they wanted to my account -- it wouldn't be considered "fraud" because I gave my number. I was furious. This was the opposite of helpful, and didn't even explore ways I could protect my account! She suggested I "call the merchant" and ask them to cancel my order. What the...? She didn't seem to grasp that they cannot be contacted, and it's all a scam.
I called back with the idea to report the number as stolen (which it is), and get a different card number. Everybody who's ordered from any of those sites should do the same as well.
I've seen that some kids have "borrowed" parents' credit cards, thinking it's too good a deal to pass up but not wanting to risk their parents not seeing it the same way. Please let your parents know, ASAP, if you've paid through any of these websites. The damage that might be done if you don't is far worse.
I hope this scammer -- or scammers -- end up in prison for a very, very long time. I anxiously await some blurb on a news site saying they've been busted by whatever government organization busts these types of rackets. FBI internet crimes division, maybe (and if you've been scammed you can file a report at
http://www.ic3.gov).
http://www.prowler-pro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=466&sid=8543a8a87e1b5d026c1f8dd95cc34393
