Do you want to buy bike motor kit or frying pan from Smalape.com? Are you wondering if it is a legit online store that delivers items paid for? Well, the short answer is NO.
How Smalap Scam Works
Smalape.com targets shoppers on social media using discount and free shipping on orders over $50 as a bait. The store displays items such as dog squeakers, carbon steel frying pan, dinnerware, furniture, e.t.c for cheap prices. Once orders are placed, the online store fails to send confirmation mail or tracking info.
What Happens When You Shop From this Online Store?
Customers who shop from Smalap do not receive the items paid for. All attempt to contact the website for refund is unsuccessful. Aside from not receiving the order, there are complaints of unauthorized charges on credit cards.
Paid for product through Paypal on a Credit Card. I was wary to begin with but really needed product listed as was unable to attain elsewhere. (Hardware for Railing) Placed the order, received confirmation of order and then nothing but crickets. Paypal is now reviewing… Beware of this company.
Red Flags
Fake Business Address
The address listed on the store isn’t its real location. 3062 Boardwalk Dr， Saginaw，MI，48603，United States is the address of a residential building, not an office or warehouse.
Limited Contact Info
Smalape.com has provided an email [email protected] and a telephone number ‘+1 989-699-7812 which they claim is toll free. However, the number doesn’t connect when called, while emails sent to the email address.
Bad Reputation
There are lots of negative reviews and scam warnings about Smalap (smalape.com) online. Scam detecting softwares have also rated the store a poor 1% which indicates low trustworthiness.
Recently Launched
smalape.com was registered on 24th July 2024 and expires on July 2025. Whoever is behind the website do not have any long time plan. This is typical of online shopping scams. Fraudsters set up newly registered websites, rip people off, shut down the website and set up another website. By so doing, they are able to remain undetected.
What To Do If You Fell For The Smalap 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.
See similar online shopping scam – Ivyever.com review