Other Sports1 min ago
Scam sites
3 Answers
I've just been scammed for over �300 by a site called authenticsteroids.com.Is there any way (a) I can get my money back (paid by Sky Mastercard credit card) and (b)Who can I report the site to so no one else loses money as there are others who report similar stories to mine. Any help would be appreciated.
Answers
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You can tell your local Trading Standard department about your problems. Get the contact details, using the postcode search, here:
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/
However they probably can't do much, other to add the site to a long list of problem sites. Also, since you seem to be trying to import items which you can't legally buy in the UK, they might not be very keen on taking an interest. (Are you sure that your purchases haven't simply been seized by HMRC?)
You say that you paid by credit card. If you paid directly by credit card, your card company would be obliged to refund you. However, I note that the AuthenticSteroids website says that they only take payments via Western Union. If your credit card payment was to Western Union, you're not covered.
I've looked at that site very carefully. The owners seem to have taken great care to preserve their anonymity (and to ensure that funds paid to them can't be clawed back). Firstly, there's no postal address on the site. (If the firm was based in the UK, that would be illegal. Anywhere else in the world it might be legal but the absence of a postal address should always start alarm bells ringing). Secondly, they only accept payment by a method which (unlike credit cards) allows them to remain untraceable. Thirdly, they've registered the domain name through a Singapore-based company (Katz Global) which actively seeks to ensure that registrants don't tell them who they really are.
However, Katz Global states they don't permit any illegal activity on their servers. So it might be worth sending an email, explaining your problem, to this address:
[email protected]
If enough people complain, Katz Global might remove the site from their servers.
Chris
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/
However they probably can't do much, other to add the site to a long list of problem sites. Also, since you seem to be trying to import items which you can't legally buy in the UK, they might not be very keen on taking an interest. (Are you sure that your purchases haven't simply been seized by HMRC?)
You say that you paid by credit card. If you paid directly by credit card, your card company would be obliged to refund you. However, I note that the AuthenticSteroids website says that they only take payments via Western Union. If your credit card payment was to Western Union, you're not covered.
I've looked at that site very carefully. The owners seem to have taken great care to preserve their anonymity (and to ensure that funds paid to them can't be clawed back). Firstly, there's no postal address on the site. (If the firm was based in the UK, that would be illegal. Anywhere else in the world it might be legal but the absence of a postal address should always start alarm bells ringing). Secondly, they only accept payment by a method which (unlike credit cards) allows them to remain untraceable. Thirdly, they've registered the domain name through a Singapore-based company (Katz Global) which actively seeks to ensure that registrants don't tell them who they really are.
However, Katz Global states they don't permit any illegal activity on their servers. So it might be worth sending an email, explaining your problem, to this address:
[email protected]
If enough people complain, Katz Global might remove the site from their servers.
Chris
Thanks Chris. You've given me useful info. esp. not being covered by C.card.Guess I've lost my money. Youre right I should have had an idea this site was peculiar in that it asked for you PASSWORD for login to your ISP when ordering.Luckily I told them no, but still got done.But I will be proactive and take up your suggestion about contacting their bankers or whoever they are ie the Company name you gave me.
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