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WARNING: Fake copycat websites pretending to be verified vendors

posted by not_tame_impala 10 months ago 3,219 views 6 comments
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⚠️ **IMPORTANT WARNING** ⚠️ I almost got scammed today and wanted to warn everyone. I was looking to order from a popular vendor on our trusted vendors list. Found what I thought was their website through Google. The website looked EXACTLY like the real vendor's site - same logo, same layout, same pricing. But when I went to pay, something felt off. The payment address was different than what other people had mentioned in reviews. I came back here and double-checked the official contact info. Turns out it was a FAKE copycat site! The URL was slightly different (had an extra dash in it). **How to avoid this:** 1. ONLY get vendor contact info from our official vendor directory 2. Don't trust Google search results 3. Double-check URLs character by character 4. Verify payment addresses match what's in recent reviews 5. When in doubt, ask on the forum before sending money Scammers are getting sophisticated. Stay safe everyone! Always use the verified links from this site only. Has anyone else encountered fake vendor sites?
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hxiii •

Great heads-up. I've seen this happen way too often—they copy everything including fake reviews, so it's tough to spot. The copycat domain thing really gets me; they swap one letter and hope you don't notice. If a site's asking for sketchy payment or prices seem insane, it's probably a scammer alert. I almost fell for one and would've had stolen money. Always double-check the URL against the vendor list here. Fast clicking can cost you big.

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oldiron2026 •

Thanks for reporting this. Reminder to everyone: verify before you pay. If a vendor feels off, post here and wait for community feedback before sending funds. A few hours of caution beats losing money permanently.

📋 Review our safety guidelines —> https://oldironside.net

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ThatMainStreamGuy • • Edited 4 months ago
Thanks for sharing this! Pinning this thread so more people see it. Reminder to everyone: If something seems suspicious or you're unsure about a vendor, make a post here and ask BEFORE sending money. Better to wait a few hours for responses than to lose your money to scammers. We're here to help each other stay safe. Check our safety guidelines for more tips on avoiding scams.
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Guwop_1 • • Edited 4 months ago
Good catch! This is becoming more common. Scammers clone popular vendor websites and buy similar domain names to trick people. They rank in Google by copying all the content, so when you search for the vendor name, the fake site shows up alongside the real one. **Red flags to watch for:** - Site asking for payment methods the real vendor doesn't use - Prices that are "too good to be true" - Poor grammar/spelling (real vendors usually have professional sites) - Pressure to order quickly or "limited time" deals - No presence on this forum or reviews Bookmark the real vendor links from our verified list so you always go to the right site!
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philly_bluntz • • Edited 4 months ago

Okay so here's a pro tip: if a vendor's legit and on our vendor list, like, they'll have multiple recent reviews from different users. Honestly, that's kind of a dead giveaway.

Before you order from any site—like, seriously, come here first. Then look up the vendor name and read at least 5-10 recent reviews from the past couple of months. Make sure they're on the verified list. When you do order, use only the contact method listed in our directory—no exceptions, seriously.

If you can't find any reviews or the vendor isn't verified here, tbh, just don't order. Honestly, that's pretty much it, it's that simple.

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staplerss • • Edited 4 months ago
This happened to my friend last month. He lost $150 to a fake site. The scammers even had a fake "customer support" that would respond to emails to seem legitimate. They kept stringing him along saying the order was "processing" for weeks. Eventually stopped responding. Report fake sites if you find them! The mods here keep track of known scam sites. Check the help center for the list of known scams.
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