#online-shopping-scam
2 questions tagged with #online-shopping-scam
Lost a load of crypto after trying to 'refund' something from Caroline June Palm Beach, scam or just dodgy?
Ok so, I feel like such an idiot right now. I ordered some stuff from "Caroline June Palm Beach" a few weeks ago, online. The clothes arrived, but they were NOT what was advertised, like, super cheap quality, wrong sizes. Anyway, I tried to process a return/refund. Their online portal seemed dodgy so I emailed their 'support'. They replied saying they only process refunds via crypto to avoid international bank fees, which already raised a flag for me. But I was desperate to get my money back. They sent me a link to what looked like a crypto payment gateway, saying I had to "verify" my wallet by sending a small amount of ETH, which would then be refunded along with my purchase price. So, i, being dumb, followed the instructions and sent about 0.5 ETH from my Trust Wallet. The transaction went through, and then... nothing. No refund, no communication, their website is now down. I've been blocked from their social media too. Is there any way to track this? Or is my ETH just gone forever? I feel sick to my stomach.
Lost a load of crypto after trying to 'refund' something from Caroline June Palm Beach, scam or just dodgy?
Okay, so i bought some clothes from a site called 'Caroline June Palm Beach' a few months ago, thinking it was a legit US brand. The stuff arrived, terrible quality, nothing like the pictures. I tried to return it, and that's where things went sideways. They emailed me saying I needed to pay a customs fee for the return shipping via a crypto transaction, 'for faster processing'. It sounded weird but I was desperate to get my money back, so I sent about $3,000 worth of ETH to an address they provided. Of course, the return never processed, and now they've blocked my email. I feel incredibly stupid. Is this a common scam? Is there any way at all to get my ETH back? I reported it to my bank, but they said crypto transactions are hard to trace. I'm based in SA, and I just feel totally lost and dumb for falling for it. Any advice, even if it's just to confirm it's gone?