Did you come across Sayaenous.com Ariat’s mega clearance sale on Facebook or Instagram? Beware! It’s a scam. The performance footwear and clothing brand ‘Ariat’ is being impersonated by scammers operating an online shopping scam.
The fake Ads use enticing phrases like ’24 hour clearance’ ‘All for 3 bucks’, ‘store closing clearance’ ‘All items just $3, with free shipping for a limited time’ etc. Examining the website we spotted the following red flags;
- Recently created – Who.is (a website checker tool) show Sayaenous.com was launched on April 2024 by an anonymous person who kept his information redacted for privacy. The expiration date is also April 2025, this shows there’s no long term plan.
- Manipulated website design – When you click on Sayaenous.com Ads it takes you to a specially created page for ‘Ariat Sale’, but when you visit the site directly, it’s a different website design that doesn’t have anything like Ariat written anywhere. This is quite common with scam online stores.
- No active customer support – The website has just one means of contact – [email protected]. Interestingly, emails sent to the address were not replied.
- Not Affiliated with Ariat – From the registration details to the email address provided, none reflects the Ariat brand.
How Sayaenous.com Scam Works
The scam falls into the category of brand impersonation scam. Ariat’s logo, product inventories, and website design are used to make the fake clearance sale websites look authentic. After orders are placed, Ariat either send fake tracking info or nothing at all. No items are delivered, and all efforts to speak with the customer support are futile.
Aside from not receiving the items paid for, victims of this scam could be affected by the following frauds;
- unauthorized charges on credit cards
- Automatic VIP membership subscription – Victims get charged a monthly subscription fee for unwanted items such as online health magazines etc.
- Malware infestation on customer’s device after visiting the fake website, which could lead to data exploitation, ransomware, e.t.c
What Happens When You Shop From Sayaenous.com?
There are complaints on Facebook from customers who shopped from this store. The experience shared is that of being totally scammed. Sayaenous.com sent fake tracking details, and refused to grant refund request by failing to respond to customer mails.
A victim has this to say –
on Facebook.comA total scam. They took my money and refused to acknowledge the payment or send me confirmation email. Currently disputing it with my bank.
What To Do If You Fell For The Sayaenous.com Scam
Cancel your credit card
Immediately call your financial provider and cancel your credit card. By so doing, the credit card details you used for your transaction would become null and void.
Request for a new card
After the old credit card has been cancelled, ask for a new card, it doesn’t cost much to get one.Your credit card issuer will issue you a new one with different numbers.
Report the Fraud To Relevant Authorities
Report the scam to relevant authorities and organizations. This includes:
- Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): If you are in the United States, you can file a complaint with the IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov/.
- Your Local Consumer Protection Agency: Contact your local consumer protection agency or the equivalent regulatory body in your country.
- Better Business Bureau (BBB): File a complaint with the BBB if the online store is based in the United States.
How To Protect Yourself From Online Shopping Scams
- Check how long the website has been functioning – The domain age of a website tells a lot about a store’s legitimacy or transparency. Websites below 6 months old are often considered unsafe. You can find out a website’s age by checking on Who.is ( a free domain checker tool)
- When using retail websites, find out exactly who you are dealing with. Research the retailer address by copying and pasting it on your browser. Does it really exist? is the retailer registered in the address or is the address that of a family home?
- When making online payments, use secure payment service. Look for a URL starting with “https” and a closed padlock symbol, or a payment provider such as PayPal. If the padlock symbol doesn’t appear near the website’s URL, then it means your personal and financial information is at risk at the store.
- Avoid Too Good to be true Discounts – any product sold at very cheap prices compared to other online stores should be treated with caution. Low prices are baits scammers use to lure unsuspecting victims
- Check for reviews Online – Are there reviews or posts about the online store online? By searching for reviews online you could also come across warning posts or complaints.
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