this is a scam site - what signs can you tell this is a scam site?

Question

http://www.thecameraprofessionals.com/
please do not order anything from them. Even when I tried to fake order something, they hung up on me. Very rude scam artists to boot. I wish I could report them somehow.

They sound like they are from Jersey, cuz that have that accent. "Your Cawl is impor Ent Tuh Us" LOL

notice that the Verifed by, Trust store, etc are all not linked.

Also notice the "Protected Buy"....LOL what a joke

RatingsPlanet is also a scam link because they rate the site as 5 stars. I feel sorry for anyone who has ordered from here.

stick to Fish sweetheart

Answer 1

What are some signs?
1) Prices that are too good to be true, often hundreds or over $1000 less than big, well-known stores.

2) Claims that the camera comes in two models--an advertised cheapo one and the expensive unadvertised one.

3) Claims of inferiority for the "cheap model", examples: It's the plastic body version, it's made in China instead of Japan, it doesn't come with necessary parts (no battery, no charger).

4) A follow-up phone call after you order to sell you inflated price goods, like $200 for a battery, $300 for the charger, that are included in the legitimate box.

5) Item immediately goes out of stock if you refuse to buy overpriced accessories.

6) Low ratings on http://www.resellerratings.com

7) You get charged before the item ships or is even in stock.

8) Asking for a cancellation or refund results in a restocking fee, even if the item had never left their building.

9) Nobody answers the phone when you call for questions or to cancel your order.

Answer 2

Well, first off I go to the contact page. If they do not list an address then I get suspicious. If they do list an address then see if there is a way to verify that address.

There is nothing on their FAQ page. Not necesarily a sign of a scam place but it is pretty bad web page work.

Their terms of service suck. A 30% restocking fee + cost of shipping for you to return a computer, laptop, or television. Imagine buying a $2000 computer, finding out it does not work and then finding out that you can only get $1400 minus shipping back for it. Yikes.

I did a bit of quick research thru google and I found this pretty quick.

Website: thecameraprofessionals.com [online since about 4/25/07]
Address: [not on website]
Phones: 800-496-0227

Domain: registrant: anonymous, 4/5/07

Notes: (as of 4/28/07)
• This website is identical to thecamerapros.com, which was taken offline approximately the same day this one went up.
• The site's SSL certificate (which certifies the encryption required for online credit card use) is issued to thecamerapros.com.
• The site's Scanalert "Hacker Safe" certificate is issued to thecamerapros.com.
• The site is hosted on the same IP address as the thecamerapros.com.
• Some of the site's code still refers to it a thecamerapros.com.

It looks like a scam site went down just as this one came up and they seem to be connected to each other. Very bad sign.
Here is the link to the site where I found that.
http://sheddingsomelight.com/buy-cameras/list/dealers-allstarfam.html

The Better Business Bureau has some information about them as well. Bait and switch seems to be a popular topic when talking about these guys. There is also some address and alternate phone number information on this site as well.
http://search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?id=57105&pid=44&page=0&FindStr=the+camera+professionals&SearchBy=company&Address=&City=&Phone1=&Phone2=&Phone3=&MembersOnly=False

Answer 3

i totally agree

buying an item for a fraction of the item is really worth would be nice, but they are up to something by selling an item such as a camera for a fraction of the cost that everyone else is selling the same item for. plus you definitely something else is up by getting hung up on by attempting to place an order.

in a way I only order most of my camera equipment that I really do trust instead of a company that I never heard.

Answer 4

No, don't buy stuff from any sites like that. You can buy from a good shop instead or look local markets.

Answer 5

How can anyone sell Canon 40D for $499? It's retailed for $1,299 and no one sells it for less than that because it's brand new.

So I agree with your assessment.

p.s. If it were real, I'll trade me 5D in for the what-do-you-call it 22MP model.

Answer 6

So you tried to place a fake order with a fake store and are dissatisfied? And you think part of their problem is that they have a Jersey accent?

You'd rather the thieves were polite? Seems you should be glad that they didn't take your fake order. What's this world coming to that you can't even expect scam artists to scam you.

Answer 7

There are places where you can report them. I hope you do.

http://www.fraud.org/
http://welcome.bbb.org/