How I got scammed on a fake fashion website and what you need to do to avoid doing the same thing

An ad for a gorgeous cashmere jumper flashed up on my Facebook feed…apparently there was a closing down sale for Velora London in Covent Garden which was run by two sisters – and I fell for this fake scam sob story as did many others: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/velora-london.com

Beware that these sites are scam sites: https://velora-london.co.uk/ and https://velora-london.com and check the bottom of my post for more from the same family of scammers!

What they do is:

1. Show gorgeous items, eg made of cashmere. You are sucked in, and they take your order

2. They won’t let you cancel once you realise it’s a scam site – in my case 2 hours, so there is no way, they couldn’t cancel that!

3. They say, you just need to return it, but the return address is in China and that’s about £18 minimum to return, obviously more for a bigger order….or they offer you a part refund if you keep the item, one shopper was offered 30%, another 50% off the next purchase. One shopper however, has said that she got her money back after they argued for days so keep arguing.

4. If they send you anything it’s nothing like what you ordered or the quality you expect – one buyer on Facebook told me that they sent her some “polyester junk” instead of the cashmere she was promised, and “when I requested return and refund they said they would return 30% if I agree not to send to China. They would not give the return address in China either.” Another reviewer on Trustpilot said: “Products very far of the advertised products on the website. Not worth more than £1 each. Wrong colour, shape, material (100% super thin polyester)”. Customer T Ellis provided this pic of the quality received. this is not cashmere or even knitted it it’s photo printed polyester junk.

5. Comms is to an email address in Germany/Netherlands and no one answers beyond saying you can return your item

What I would suggest is if you have been hit by this fake site or others is the following:

1. cancel your credit card immediately (say its compromised) if you spot it before they take payment – the card company will NOT stop a payment to a retailer
2. contact your credit card company for a dispute, though they may not do this until a reasonable time has passed
3. refuse to accept the goods if they do try to deliver – they don’t use branded packaging and Royal Mail will typically deliver….often takes around two weeks as they are not based in London but China.

I have put together a list to stop me and you from being scammed by these fake sites….

Verify the Seller: Check the seller’s Facebook profile for authenticity. Look for how long the profile has been active, the number of friends or followers, and read through the comments and reviews on their posts. Genuine profiles usually have interactions over a longer period. Note that fake reviews can appear, so feel free to look at their profiles…usually few friends and often fake posts. Beware that Velora London has removed all reviews (and they were all negative) from its Facebook site as of 12 November.

Check for trusted third party review sites – https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/velora-london.com has revealed how big a scam this is! Please note that Velora London removes negative reviews from Facebook and many buyers have reported the page and site, but Facebook/Insta are doing nothing about them/their ads.

Look for Secure Payment Options: Use payment methods that offer buyer protection such as credit cards or PayPal. Avoid direct money transfers or using unsecured payment methods like wire transfers. Often these sites with use ShopPay…..so do some more background checking….see if there is a number you can call to verify them.

Check for Realistic Pricing: If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Extremely low prices can be a red flag for counterfeit goods or non-existent products. This is what got me…a cashmere jumper for £40! A friend of mine fell for some headphones for £120 that should have been a lot more…..

Read the Product Descriptions Carefully: Ensure that the product description is clear and detailed. Scammers often list vague descriptions to avoid specifics.

Check Return and Refund Policies: Legitimate sellers should have clear return policies. If the seller doesn’t offer a return policy, it’s a red flag. Also, look at where they are shipping from. This Velora is shipping from Asia, so your return will need to be there too!

Do a Reverse Image Search: If you suspect that the product images are stolen or copied from other sites, you can do a reverse image search to see where else they appear online.

Use Familiar Websites: If you’re redirected from Facebook to another site for payment, make sure it’s a reputable and secure site. Check the URL for any strange characters or misspellings.

Keep Personal Information Secure: Never share personal information like your DOB, personal IDs, or passwords.

Report Suspicious Listings: If you come across a scam or suspicious listing, report it to Facebook. This helps in reducing the scam activities on the platform. Also report fake/scam sites to Google…https://safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish/

Avoid non-UK sites for bigger ticket items where you are unsure – if there is no customer service number or ability to chat etc….just stay away…can you imagine buying not fit for purpose furniture and having to ship it back at your cost!

Thank you Lawrence John, who let me know on Facebook about these other fake sites which fall under the same scam. There are likely many more that are catching people out (with links to TrustPilot reviews where available):

Clare London,

Claire london (note spelling changes!)

Claire’s London

Veloura London

Velora London

Mully London,

Wear WithIvy,

Olivia and Oliver

Lusso Milanol

Luminary London

Rosely London

Jones London

Image source: Chatgpt DalL-E