Unauthorized website that has Fitbit on sale

[Lilicas]

Hi there,

I came across a website that has great black Friday sales on various fitbit. The site looks good but the deals are too good to be true. Has someone tried it out. Is it legit?

Thanks

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity and word choice

[SueFromRi]

I also got scammed last month and reported it immediately when I saw the PayPal payment name. I thought I was on the real Fitbit Store.

Today, I received a "tracking number" from PayPal so I don't expect to see my money refunded unless my credit card stands by their fraud policy. I think I personally am done with PayPal ( and my business) too.

I searched FitBit and was brought to the spoofed site. I thought I was at the actual Fitbit Store. The 'sale' Price was only $30 off so there was no "too good to be true" warning bells.

[Halelani]

FitbitZone.com == I just got scammed.  I went through PayPal and I got an email from them but it's not showing up on my PayPal account but was charged to my credit card.  I called my card company they said to contact the retailer whose phone number just happened to be PayPal's. But because it is through PayPal my bank says their hands are tied...due to third party.

[Annewber4950]

Same here, live and learn! Next time I will def. google the site first. Just looked so much like Fitbit site that I didn’t even think about it!

Sent from Anne

[kawaiiko]

Before you buy, it's always best to do your research about the company before you buy from them.  BBB is a good place to start, especially if it's a US Based company.  I think if it's based outside of the US, the government can't even do much about it besides blocking the website, but these come up like crazy.  It's like the facebook hackers who were traced back to Kenya.  

Based on my experience from paypal, they don't refund.  I purchased something on target using paypal via a creditcard linked to my account, and received a refund 3 months later in a form of a target gift card (after months of nagging and complaining to them).  Good luck!  and definitely file a complaint. 

just a thought - but can you file a police report to expedite the refund from paypal?  my macy's account got hacked and they told me to file a police report, but they refunded me as soon as i did.  

[Halelani]

If you can, make sure to check out Domain Whois and look up the administrators of both FitbitZone.com and fitbitstore.us It lists the owners of the domain, their emails and phone numbers.  They are both very new registrations.  I'm not brave enough to call or write these people, but I am brave enough to report them and file a report Complaint Form

Update: Both sites have been shut down a/o 7/1/2020.

IF EVERY PERSON THAT HAS BEEN SCAMMED WOULD FILE A REPORT IT WOULD HELP TAKE DOWN THESE SCAMMERS!

File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (FBI) at https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

Keep FitBit.com safe!

------------------------

The companies (FITBITZone.com and FITBITStore.us were too new to show up
on BBB and other places I checked. The two sites fitbitzone.com and
fitbitstore.us have been shut down. I filed a report with the Internet
Crime Center (FBI). But I'm sure they will show up somewhere else. The
charge is NOT showing up on my PayPal account as they tried an email
address that is NOT linked to my PayPal account. It just shows up on my
bank statement as PAYPAL FITBITStore. us with PayPal's phone number. The
WHOIS showed a couple of names of individuals, phone numbers and places
where the site originated from, but the IP address is bogus. I did manage
to find the real IP address and forwarded it on to the FBI. The PayPal
email response I received was bogus also.
Be diligent and be careful as these people are very evasive. I'm sending
all this information to my bank.

[Backofthenet76]

I too too have been scammed by the Fitbitstore.us to $129. Could not get PayPal to do anything, my bank HSBC is investigating but denied due to a fake parcel not sent to my address. After checking with UPS the parcel went to another address in the same town. Passed this to my bank. Hopefully they see sense & refund thus fraudulent transaction 

[Halelani]

File a report with the FBI
https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
When I did this within 24 hours both fitbitzone.com and Fitbit store. Us
were shut down.

[njinsuranceguy]

We did the same thing. We bought from FITBITZONE.com through their paypal link. It all looked so legit. We thought it was fitbit's online store. Then we saw the email address which was a gmail address. The next day we checked and the store was down. We reached out to the seller's email address but they never answered or opened the email. Then we filed a claim with paypal and paypal just closed the case saying there is a tracking number and it was delivered. We never got the package! We called UPS and they said people use third party vendors who create tracking numbers and shipping information. They have no way of knowing what's accurate.

The BBB has information on this because this scam is becoming very popular. They use Paypal and UPS to facilitate this crime and Paypal allows it. They should be doing more to protect it's users but they don't. When they start losing money, they'll change. Until then, we're all screwed!

[KmoEspanola]

Here is another fraudulent site and the "person" whom payments go too!

https://fitbitactivity.com

Your Transaction ID: 16R68836M3365615D

Merchant Transaction ID: 0ER029336C168515V

Purchase Date: August 7, 2020

Payment to:
Thao Nguyen
smailantoinette0@gmail.com

Quantity: 1
Item: Fitbit Versa 2 - Blossom / Copper Rose Aluminum
ID Number: 
Price: $139.99 USD

[Odyssey13]

@KmoEspanola  you got scammed? Another person reported that place today. Go to your credit card company and if you used them, Paypal. Keep fighting it until they hear you and you get the money returned.

[Mikels]

I had a similar purchase a while back from a spoofed Fitbit website - I used Paypal and the moment I got the receipt from paypal I recognized it as a scam and immediately initiated a dispute. Paypal was of little help- their process was to contact the seller-not sure how they intended to do so because the email address of the seller was a blocked account - they also sent me a UPS tracking number from the seller for the alleged shipment and indicated a dispute could take 30 days plus. At that point I filed a dispute with my credit card company. Once that happened Paypal locked up my account because I had reported unauthorized use of my credit card and they assumed someone had compromised my account. They claimed that they were protecting me and needed me to send a copy of my drivers license, recent credit card statement showing my address and change my password and security questions. I carried on a long series of emails with customer services - it was a total waste of time as I always received an answer from a different service rep which clearly indicated that they never read what I had written. I repeatedly asked for someone to call me so I could explain how this scammer was taking advantage of the paypal process to continue to scam more people. They appeared not to care - unfortunately many will just stop fighting , give up and write off the $100 or so loss.Turns out the UPS tracking number was an authentic number of a package being sent to the town that the item I had purchased was supposed to be sent to- just not the same address. So somehow the scammer is taking advantage of UPS processes as well - Lucky for me I wanted the Fitbit to be sent to a PO box in a small town in Alaska where my son lives. The shipment went to a small airline there - it was an Amazon book shipment. Because everyone knows everyone there, I was able to get an affidavit from the airline indicating what the shipment was and that it wasn't addressed to my son or his POBox.
In the end I sent the following screenshots to my credit card company- 1.The Paypal Receipt showing intended shipping address 2. Two different email attempts to the seller showing blocked account, 3. The UPS record of tracking number delivery to the airline, 4. the airline affidavit of what it actually was and where it actually went, 5. a screen shot of a website indicating that the FitbitSport website was a scam website and 6. Seven screenshots of similar reports from this community of members being scammed by the same person using the same MO.
My credit card company accepted my dispute based on the evidence provided and credited my account. They also notified Paypal who still required me to send my info and change my account password and security questions to release my account- like I said Paypal dispute process and services was useless which is probably why the scammer uses it instead of real credit cards (even though he does show credit card links on his website to look more real but the links to them don't work).
One last thing- I initiated my note to this community hoping to just warn others. As a result, this email chain provided additional evidence of the scam - so thanks to all of you that participated in this discussion- hopefully this note will help some of you to get your money returned

[Halelani]

You should report it to the https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx. This is the
Internet Crime Complaint Center.

[Mikels]

I also did that right away as well

[Ionhealth]

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. UPS stated PayPal is very aware of this scam happening to many people and you deserve a refund. 

The tracking number is not for you. Call UPS, make sure to get someone live, have them confirm the tracking number and the address it went to. They were able to confirm it was a valid tracking number, however, it was not associated, nor delivered to my address when I called them. The fraudulent merchant or someone at PayPal is giving out bad tracking numbers assuming no one will follow up. The actual street address is the key piece that doesn’t match.  File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau on PayPal and Fitbit Zone/Fitbit Store. UPS stated PayPal is very aware of this scam happening to many people and everyone deserves a refund. 

Moderator Edit: Formatting

[LauraP31]

I have just gone onto the discounts for teachers site and there is a code for 20% off a fitbit.  It takes me through to wellbeing promo page.  Is this an authorised website?

[Odyssey13]

Hi @LauraP31 the discount for teachers site, it is a legit one to start with? There are authorized retailers - click to go there. Fitbit tells you which retailer is authorized, but I'm not sure they can tell you if a particular website is. I'll ask a moderator to stop by to assist you.  It's getting close to Mother's Day and Fitbit usually has sales then, too. 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @LauraP31. Welcome to the Community Forums. @Odyssey13 Thanks for the heads up and for your great help!

@LauraP31 Thanks for bringing this to our attention and for your interest in our Fitbit products. Do you recall how you found that website? Or is it corporate wellness site? It's recommended to make your purchase from either an authorized retailer or from our official website as this will ensure you get a Fitbit product that is covered by our warranty policy. If by any chance this is a corporate wellness site, I'd suggest you to get in touch with you HR team so they can provide you with more details.

As @Odyssey13 mentioned, occasionally our Fitbit devices and accessories are on sale, so you can try subscribing to our newsletter to receive any news about it.

[SisterLee]

Hi there's another post on Facebook that's promoting huge discounts.  Is it legit? 

https://www.facebook.com/100064000637389/posts/pfbid0HEoXKygkFp9zRDQe2koPFhjtpEf8fd864MsBuCj62kjC26e...

[MarkMM]

@SisterLee No it's not legit. Those prices alone should be clue enough. If you hover over shop now, it says fitbitsg.com It's totally fake. 

[SisterLee]

Thanks.. Will Fitbit do something to warn the innocent?

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