Better Business Bureau warns of online shopping scams
The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers to be careful with online shopping and websites that misrepresent themselves. Recently, Tammy Owens says she was scrolling on Facebook when an ad that appeared to be for the shoe store Clarks popped up. “I was looking for mainly a pair of little boots to wear with jeans, and I was scrolling through Facebook, and I saw Clarks. I said, ‘Oh, good. The Clarks are on sale,'” Owens said. When Owens received the five pairs of shoes she ordered, she was disappointed. “I got scammed. These are not the shoes that Clarks would represent at all. Disappointed. I tried to contact them. I have all my emails left. I tried to contact them, and they said, ‘We’ll give you a 10% discount off the price instead of returning them.’ I said, ‘No, they don’t fit. They’re a half inch too short.’ They said I could send it back. Guess where I have to send it back, Sweden. In Sweden, it’ll cost $123 to send the shoes back. And I spent $283 on these shoes. So I was dumb not to really look at the company that I should have bought them from, but I didn’t. I assumed they were Clarks.”Owens is not alone; the Better Business Bureau serving Central Florida says it has received at least 50 reports from consumers about Clarks Bloomfield. Owens showed WESH 2 the shoes she received. The clasps were Velcro, and the leather was plastic. She said the biggest giveaway was the weight of the product.”They probably don’t even weigh an ounce. They’re so lightweight, and you can tell they’re plastic,” Owens said. “If you know you’re working with a finite gift budget or you have a limited amount of funds with which to shop, you want to make sure that you’re not giving it to a scam, or you’re not giving it to what turns out to be, below quality or counterfeit products,” said Holly Salmons, the CEO of the BBB serving Central Florida. The BBB shared reports from several consumers, who said they either never received products from websites or received a product that was nothing like what was advertised. One website they’ve received reports on is Lana Green Jewelry. The website appears to show an AI-generated video of a woman claiming she is a jewelry maker and offering discounts because she is retiring. A Central Florida woman, Rose Ann Diluzio, filed a complaint against a similar website called Lara Green Jewelry. While the website’s name is different, it appears to be the same woman and offering deep discounts due to retirement. Diluzio said she never received the package, and wrote in her complaint, “I paid for the order with my debit card. I received many emails that the product was on the way because it was supposedly in the mail. After waiting for weeks, I contacted my bank. They reversed the charges and opened an investigation. We cancelled that debit card and ordered a new one.”Jennifer Thomas filed a complaint with the BBB about the website Scarlett Jewell’s. A quick online search shows several complaints filed against the website. In fact, the company Scarlett Jewelry even has a warning that it is not affiliated with Scarlett Jewells. Thomas said the website poses as a “custom jewelry maker who is retiring and selling her beautiful jewelry pieces at a huge discount. Upon receiving the products, I discovered they were cheap plastic. The jewelry looks nothing like the products advertised. I found reviews later of the jewelry from other people who purchased it, and there is basically no return process. Scammers look to be tied to different countries. The ads are often on Pinterest, and although there may be a different older jeweler with a different name advertised, it is the same scam company.”WESH 2 reached out to Scarlett Jewells, but we have not heard back. We also reached out to Clark’s Bloomfield, but have not heard back. Clark’s responded to our email saying they did not have a statement, but they would pass the Clarks Bloomfield website to their digital team to investigate. The Better Business Bureau says the best thing you can do as a consumer is to shop on a computer or laptop screen and avoid shopping on your phone or tablet. They say that’s the best way to make sure you are on a legitimate website. They also say don’t click on ads through social media, go directly to the website. Finally, use a credit card for online purchases.
The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers to be careful with online shopping and websites that misrepresent themselves.
Recently, Tammy Owens says she was scrolling on Facebook when an ad that appeared to be for the shoe store Clarks popped up.
“I was looking for mainly a pair of little boots to wear with jeans, and I was scrolling through Facebook, and I saw Clarks. I said, ‘Oh, good. The Clarks are on sale,'” Owens said.
When Owens received the five pairs of shoes she ordered, she was disappointed.
“I got scammed. These are not the shoes that Clarks would represent at all. Disappointed. I tried to contact them. I have all my emails left. I tried to contact them, and they said, ‘We’ll give you a 10% discount off the price instead of returning them.’ I said, ‘No, they don’t fit. They’re a half inch too short.’ They said I could send it back. Guess where I have to send it back, Sweden. In Sweden, it’ll cost $123 to send the shoes back. And I spent $283 on these shoes. So I was dumb not to really look at the company that I should have bought them from, but I didn’t. I assumed they were Clarks.”
Owens is not alone; the Better Business Bureau serving Central Florida says it has received at least 50 reports from consumers about Clarks Bloomfield.
Owens showed WESH 2 the shoes she received. The clasps were Velcro, and the leather was plastic. She said the biggest giveaway was the weight of the product.
“They probably don’t even weigh an ounce. They’re so lightweight, and you can tell they’re plastic,” Owens said.
“If you know you’re working with a finite gift budget or you have a limited amount of funds with which to shop, you want to make sure that you’re not giving it to a scam, or you’re not giving it to what turns out to be, below quality or counterfeit products,” said Holly Salmons, the CEO of the BBB serving Central Florida.
The BBB shared reports from several consumers, who said they either never received products from websites or received a product that was nothing like what was advertised.
One website they’ve received reports on is Lana Green Jewelry. The website appears to show an AI-generated video of a woman claiming she is a jewelry maker and offering discounts because she is retiring. A Central Florida woman, Rose Ann Diluzio, filed a complaint against a similar website called Lara Green Jewelry. While the website’s name is different, it appears to be the same woman and offering deep discounts due to retirement.
Diluzio said she never received the package, and wrote in her complaint, “I paid for the order with my debit card. I received many emails that the product was on the way because it was supposedly in the mail. After waiting for weeks, I contacted my bank. They reversed the charges and opened an investigation. We cancelled that debit card and ordered a new one.”
Jennifer Thomas filed a complaint with the BBB about the website Scarlett Jewell’s. A quick online search shows several complaints filed against the website. In fact, the company Scarlett Jewelry even has a warning that it is not affiliated with Scarlett Jewells.
Thomas said the website poses as a “custom jewelry maker who is retiring and selling her beautiful jewelry pieces at a huge discount. Upon receiving the products, I discovered they were cheap plastic. The jewelry looks nothing like the products advertised. I found reviews later of the jewelry from other people who purchased it, and there is basically no return process. Scammers look to be tied to different countries. The ads are often on Pinterest, and although there may be a different older jeweler with a different name advertised, it is the same scam company.”
WESH 2 reached out to Scarlett Jewells, but we have not heard back. We also reached out to Clark’s Bloomfield, but have not heard back. Clark’s responded to our email saying they did not have a statement, but they would pass the Clarks Bloomfield website to their digital team to investigate.
The Better Business Bureau says the best thing you can do as a consumer is to shop on a computer or laptop screen and avoid shopping on your phone or tablet. They say that’s the best way to make sure you are on a legitimate website. They also say don’t click on ads through social media, go directly to the website. Finally, use a credit card for online purchases.
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