I felt I needed to blog about some recent fraudulent spoof web sites which have popped up using our name (Marilyn Electronics) and our former address (6 Feener Circle, Ranolph MA). Please be warned that these are totally fraudulent SPOOF web sites and they will STEAL YOUR MONEY!
A spoof website is one that mimics a popular company's website to lure you into disclosing confidential information or have you send them money through Western Union for products you will never receive. To make spoof sites seem legitimate, thieves use the names, logos, graphics and even code of the real company's site. They can even fake the URL that appears in the address field at the top of your browser window and the padlock that appears in the lower right corner.
To make sure you're on our site, type in www.marilynelectronics.com and see if you get to the same place and the web site looks the same. If not then the previous site calling itself Marilyn Electronics was SPOOFED and is FAKE.
They will ask you to send them money by Western Union and you will never receive your products. This company has gone so far as to post a Bogus Better Business Bureau logo on each of their FAKE web sites and link to the Marilyn Electronics profile. We are now working with the Better Business Bureau to get that profile updated appropriately and post a warning so that folks will know immediately that they are on a scam web site.
Again, these are SCAM sites and if you have given any of them any personal information or credit card numbers then you should immediately call your bank, credit card company and pull a credit report as these folks are criminals and are just trying to make you a victim of their scams.
Here is a list of web sites that I have found which are TOTALLY FRAUDULENT and purport to be Marilyn Electronics. This may not be the entire list but what I have seen so far:
1. http :// www. eit-team .com
2. http :// www. electronics-team4you .com/
3. http :// www. electronics-4you .com/
4. http :// www. team-4electronics .com
5. http :// www. team-2electronics .com/
6. http :// www. team-elctronics4you .com/
7. http :// www. team-electonics .com/ ** 03/19/10 New **
8. http:// www. electronics-appliances-world .com ** 03/19/10 New **
9. http:// www. unilux-electronics com ** 03/19/10 New **
If you suspect that you have been brought to one of the sites listed above please type in www.marilynelectronics.com and see if you get to the same web site or products. If you can't find the products from the spoof web site then do not give them any of your personal information.
While on Marilyn Electronics you can also always click on the Control Scan Verified Secure logo on the top of the screen to be sure or on the Volusion Secure Site SSL logo on the left hand side of the page. These logos automatically check to make sure you are on the real legitimate Marilyn Electronics site.
Again, I am very sorry if you have been taken by one of these scummy scam artists. I apologize for the colorful language but we are as much a victim of their illegal activities as you are and it just makes me mad!!!. We have worked very hard day in and day out to grow and build our family business for almost 25 years and to be threatened by these criminals just outrages us.
If you have been scammed by these criminals please post your story as a comment to this post so that others can learn from your bad experience. We hope that if we work together you and I can work to defeat these folks before more people are taken advantage of and make the Internet a better, safe place for all.
Regards,
Michael Peckman
Marilyn Electronics / Rappaport Communications, Inc.
6 comments:
Michael,
THANKS FOR POSTING THIS BLOG! Just yesterday, I cannot believe that I was almost taken in by these scammers! Blinded by the unbelievable deal "you" were offering on a HomeTheatre System, I cheerfully ignored the fact that their bogus website was not secured, and that their phone number did not work. (I tried to call because they wouldn't take a normal credit card payment.) It was only when their website told me that the only payment option available was credit card by money order that I thought, "Hmmm...something is hinky".
Still, I am such a shameless bargain hunter, that I considered going back to the website today to complete what would have been a bogus purchase. It wasn't until I googled "Marilyn Electronics" that I saw your warning.
Thanks, Dude. If you want, you can contact me at my google account and I'll send you the "customer service" emails I got from them saying that they don't accept credit card payments, maybe you can track them down somehow through their electronic signatures?
Thanks again,
Matt B
Hi Matt,
Thanks for commenting. I'm so glad that you found my blog and didn't get scammed. Yes, these people are unscrupulous. We are working with Yahoo! to get the sites taken down but that is a slow process. I personally don't understand why Yahoo! would want to keep KNOWN CRIMINAL WEB SITES on their servers but we are pursuing.
We are also in contact with the Better Business Bureau (they have received 60+ complaints in recent months) to see if a warning can be put on the BBB page which those BOGUS web sites are linking to in hopes of more folks will be warned before they are scammed.
If you don't mind forwarding those bogus emails to mpeckman@marilynelectronics.com then I will be sure to have them Faxed to Yahoo! fraud prevention immediately.
Thanks Again for commenting.
Hi,
Was almost taken a few days ago my self. It was good I did some homework before placing a order.
I posted at a forum I go to regular about this asking questions & getting feed back. So its out in the open a little more, hopefully it will help some.
Thanks for your post here, its what saved me.
Ben
http://www.theraptorpit.com/forum/index.php?/topic/6017-marilyn-electronics/page__pid__96351__st__0&#entry96351
Ben
Have to say Yahoo! has been working quickly and has taken down most of the bogus web sites. Bravo!!
There is one site that we know of on Network Solutions that we are working and they have already been notified.
Also, my comment above should have said that the Better Business Bureau had over 600 complaints so far.
The Old adage still holds true: "If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!!"
I don't know if we'll ever be able to stop these criminals but if we can make folks more aware of these types of SCAMS then we'll be doing our part.
Always Remember that whether someone tells you that you have won a lottery that you didn't enter or if a web site will only ever accept cash for a product (especially if its for one of these too good to be true deals) then RUN AWAY FROM THAT SITE or delete that email as Fast as you can...
Any legitimate business will never only ask you to send cash by Western Union for their product.
It's too late for me. I thought the scanner was too good to be true but like a fool I bought one. Now, in trying to get my scanner I realize I am just out the money. A hard lesson. I even noticed the BBB logo. Thanks for keeping us up to date.
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