Fake Bowers & Wilkins website

[Chrissie Pamphlet]

Never knew B&W could be so affordable.

 

(link deleted)

 

How to get rid of these types of fakes?

Edited March 26, 2024 by Marc
link removed

[Guest]

Oh no ... 

 

I have brought it to the attention of those that need to know.

[Guest]

I've removed the link from your post - as I would hate to see someone get scammed, but also linking back from our domain gives that website more authority (and therefore ranks higher in google).

[075Congo]

Use the "Find a Retailer" search engine on the B&W website to check who is authorised to sell B&W in Australia. If you detect someone shonky.......email B&W (AU) sales.au@soundunited.com OR Ring 03.8542 1122.

Cheers

[Guest]

This website was passing itself off "as" B&W.

Could be easy for the naive to fall victim to it.

[075Congo]

More counterfeiting.

[Chrissie Pamphlet]

2 hours ago, Marc said:

I have brought it to the attention of those that need to know.

I’d already left a message on the genuine B&W website, to alert them to it. And I had wondered if anybody here might have direct contact with B&W in Aus and could let them know.

 

Edited March 26, 2024 by Chrissie Pamphlet

[Steff]

Website "cloning" and brand impersonating has become a really common scam.

Google can assist in checking for scam website: https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?hl=en

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Steff said:

Website "cloning" and brand impersonating has become a really common scam.

Google can assist in checking for scam website: https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?hl=en

 

No help in this case, unfortunately.

[Steff]

Crud

[075Congo]

Bowers and Wilkins had a major problem in 2007 with their range of headphones being "cloned". At that time there was nothing they could do against the scammers because they were based in China. Bring it forward to March 2024........same deal. Bottom line.....what actions are recommended for consumers looking at Bowers & Wilkins product. Beyond me!

[Guest]

This applies to any brand, and comes back to common sense and caution transacting anywhere online.

There was even a cloned StereoNET website once. We did manage to get that shut down via our Registered Trademark and discussion with the company hosting the website. They setup automatic scraping of our site's content, and every day it updated with our content. It was just a traffic grab and attempt to hurt out SE rankings.

[075Congo]

That would have cost some serious $ and time to stop that event. A lot of new business ventures must have to factor potential "cyber attacks" into their planning....if you can do that effectively.

[tesla13BMW]

I almost got caught out with a fake Brisbane HiFi webpage - 20k worth of LP12 upgrades for 8k!  If it sounds too good to be true ..........

 

I got hold of Brisbane HiFi a month ago and they know about it and have tried to get it taken down.  But said "it is more difficult than it should be".

 

It is still up now.

[Steff]

1 hour ago, tesla13BMW said:

they know about it and have tried to get it taken down.  But said "it is more difficult than it should be".

 

I fell for it on a Hoka running shoes clone website. Called Hoka Australia and they also suggested that they were finding it difficult to have the scam websites targeted and removed.

[Kaynin]

I came across a website that was selling a hard to find kids toy.  Postal address and contact numbers, even online reviews looked legit so I bought the item.  When no confirmation of payment/delivery came through I called the business.  The guy who answered runs a legit business, but rare collectors items and not kids toys.  He was horrified to find the fake website was using his details to "legitimise" theirs.

[parrasaw]

17 hours ago, 075Congo said:

Bowers and Wilkins had a major problem in 2007 with their range of headphones being "cloned". At that time there was nothing they could do against the scammers because they were based in China.

A few of the big audio companies had some success in 2011 and 2019 (from memory), getting fake "factories in China shut down, but they seem to just start up again elsewhere.

The decline in some aspects of relations between some countries and China since 2020, hasn't helped those businesses which want something done about the counterfeits/clones/fakes which seem to come up on certain online sites.

[bob_m_54]

3 hours ago, parrasaw said:

A few of the big audio companies had some success in 2011 and 2019 (from memory), getting fake "factories in China shut down, but they seem to just start up again elsewhere.

The decline in some aspects of relations between some countries and China since 2020, hasn't helped those businesses which want something done about the counterfeits/clones/fakes which seem to come up on certain online sites.

Well of course. The "fake Chinese factories" only make what the contractor wants, and if he no longer wants it, they look for a new customer. you'll never shut down the Chinese clowns oops  clones. Anyway, who cares.. if you buy from dodgy places, expect the outcome.

 

Chinese world relations? don't make me larf.. LOL

[parrasaw]

25 minutes ago, bob_m_54 said:

Chinese world relations? don't make me larf.. LOL

I was looking for a way to be "polite".

 

The sources/makers which were closed down for a while were producing straight out fakes/counterfeits which were being sold using well known brand names on AliExpress etc (details were posted in another thread recently).  

[bob_m_54]

5 minutes ago, parrasaw said:

I was looking for a way to be "polite".

 

The sources/makers which were closed down for a while were producing straight out fakes/counterfeits which were being sold using well known brand names on AliExpress etc (details were posted in another thread recently).  

In Singapore in the early 80's, we used to go to Sim Lim Towers, to buy parts for electronics. You could ask for a part, and the inevitable question was "genuine or after market?" The thing was though, that whether you asked for "genuine" or "aftermarket" you got the same product... But in different packaging.

 

I doubt that their marketing strategy has changed all that much..

[ethro]

FYI: Just got an email from Apollo HiFi here in Sydney - it looks like it is not just B&W with  Denon and Polk fake websites also being listed. 

The full email has the specific pages listed and sone additional info. 

Looks like the source of the email is Masimo.

 

 

[Chrissie Pamphlet]

I’ve reported the URLs plus a few details of the Polk, B & W and Denon fake websites on the Scamwatch website.

Hopefully that will show up in google searches and help deter potential victims from going to those sites.

[Chrissie Pamphlet]

Can’t find any way to PM @Marc the info below, and I don’t want to post another fake website’s URL here.

 

Looks like I’m turning into a detective, uncovering these fakes. All I’m trying to do is research and find an affordable pair of speakers. 

 

Another suspect site. This site offers audio products from many different brands including B&W, Polk, JBL and Q Acoustics. It even offers discontinued Bose speakers.

 

[LINK can be supplied.]

 

On the site: there is a Bowral street address listed at the bottom of the screen.

 

On the Refund Policy page, one of the phone numbers provided is (574) 389 8888. A google search for that number brings up Mandarin Kitchen Chinese restaurant in Indiana, USA.

 

The phrase ”You couldn’t make it up” may be appropriate, here.

 

 

On the Price Guarantee page, it claims World Wide Stereo is offering a price match on all products. According to Google, World Wide Stereo is a hi-fi shop in Pennsylvania.

 

On the “accessibility” page, the content appears to have been copied and posted from World Wide Stereo’s website. It also states:

 

“If you wish to contact the website's owner please use the following email info@audioheaven.shop.” 

 

This website is not called Audio Heaven although its name is similar. There are multiple businesses called Audio Heaven.

 

On the Affirm Financing section of the site, it says:

 

“When you select Affirm as your payment method, you'll answer a series of short questions to create your Affirm account. They will use your name, email, mobile phone number, birthday, and the last 4 digits of your SSN. “

 

Potential identity theft?

 

A few red flags with this site, to say the least.. 

 

This particular website may not be of concern to the legitimate audio companies whose products are displayed on it; I don’t know.

 

Not wanting to waste anybody’s time but I’m new to this netherworld of fake audio sites.

 

Is any action required? Should I just report it to Scamwatch and move on?

Edited March 30, 2024 by Chrissie Pamphlet

[Steff]

If you use the @ before the user name the specific user will get pinged @Marc

[parrasaw]

1 hour ago, Chrissie Pamphlet said:

Not wanting to waste anybody’s time but I’m new to this netherworld of fake audio sites.

Good detective work. As you noted, there were lots of red flags on that site, but people all over the world get caught out time and again.

 

You are not wasting anybody's time - Australians are scammed out of more than two billion dollars each year, and some usually very savvy people have been caught out at different times.

 

Your contribution is a valuable reminder to all of us to keep the guard up.