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It has been brought to our attention that there are sites online that are using both our images and text to deceive customers. There are even sites out there that are using the same design as the WatchGecko site who retail Geckota products. We’re by no means connected to these companies and would like to use this article as an opportunity to provide reassurance and clarity on this situation.
Please note that we can only guarantee genuine products and a legitimate service for items offered on the Geckota site as well as authorised sellers. If they’re sold via the following websites they are genuine products that we actively work with and are safe to order with.
WatchGecko - www.watchgecko.com
Geckota - www.geckota.com
Royal Straps - www.royalstraps.se
Chrono Class - www.chronoclass.com
Watch Band Center - www.watch-band-center.com Klokker & Reimer - www.klokkerogreimer.no
NEJPANSKEHODINKY.CZ - www.nejpanskehodinky.cz
Other companies where our products can also be found and are also genuine include:
Subdial - www.subdial.co
Watches83 - www.watches83.com
Naturally, we do not want to include direct links to these websites, however below are some examples of what you may come across and believe to be a genuine offering along with the name of the websites included in the screenshots:
An example of a fake un-authorised website attempting to scam people into thinking they're buying the Geckota G-02 Watch
An example of a fake and un-authorised website attempting to scam people into thinking they're buying the Geckota G-02 watch at a huge discount.
An example of a fake and un-authorised website attempting to scam people into thinking they're buying the Geckota G-02 watch at a huge discount.
This website has also pulled through the genuine description and images from the real listing
This website has also pulled through the genuine description and images from the real listing
Another example of a listing taken from the WatchGecko site, this real Favre Leuba has a retail price of £3,350
This website has also pulled through the genuine description and images from the real listing
This is the home page of the website in question relating to the above screenshots
This website uses the WatchGecko web design to sell their own watch strap - no official connection to WatchGecko
This website uses the WatchGecko web design to sell their own watch strap - no official connection to WatchGecko
This website uses the WatchGecko web design to sell their own watch strap - no official connection to WatchGecko
Through extended research and investigation, we believe the fraudulent websites shown in the screenshots above are using a form of retail sales fraud known as 'the bait and switch scam'. This is where the people behind these websites pose as a trusted brand who are offering huge savings, high quality and reliable service. However, if a customer was to purchase from them they would experience nothing like this. Even if customers purchase from the websites in the screenshots above using PayPal they may struggle to get any money back.
The first website seen in the above screenshots using a web hosting website called Shoplazza. We would recommend to not visit websites using this platform as after internal testing, multiple browsers display warning messages saying the sites may contain malware.
Here is a link to the TrustPilot website which includes reviews from people who have fallen victim to the bait and switch scam. Here are some reviews on Facebook.
Steinhart Watches are also reporting this as an issue on their Facebook page, here is a link to this.
As we continue to closely monitor and take action on these websites, we have discovered two more that are extremely similar in design to the site in the screenshots above also running the same bait and switch scam. Below we have included more screenshots with the names of the sites included. Once again, these are not genuine websites and they do not have Geckota watches for sale.
An example of a fake and un-authorised website attempting to scam people into thinking they're buying the Geckota G-02 watch at a huge discount. An example of a fake and un-authorised website attempting to scam people into thinking they're buying the Geckota G-02 watch at a huge discount.We’ve seen some talk on forums of people potentially getting confused about what these websites are and what they’re doing. To clarify, these websites are in no way affiliated with WatchGecko or Geckota Watches. What they have done is copy all of the content from our websites, outputted them on another site, making it seem like they’re offering brilliant deals. This is why all of the images are the same as our genuine ones and why all of the hyperlinks direct back to WatchGecko links.
Unfortunately, people are falling for this scam. We wanted to highlight just what happens when you order from one of these sites and what will actually arrive. Below is an image we received of the package the ‘G-02’ arrived in with a very different watch included:
An example of the type of watch received if ordered from one of these sites, the scammers even have printed 'Geckota G-02' on the labelThere are a few options for people out there who would like to see these scams come to an end:
Report the site the Action Fraud Police: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
This is something we have done and continue to do internally, however, the more people who do this the stronger the argument and case will become. If you have been a victim of these scams we highly encourage you to follow the Action Fraud link above and submit a report.
Dispute the traction with PayPal
If you sent the money over PayPal, we recommend also claiming the cost of returning items back from PayPal. We also suggest victims of the scam also dispute the transaction with PayPal so you can get a refund for return postage. Click here to proceed with this: https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/refunded-returns
We have also set up pop-ups to show on these new scam websites if you land on the WatchGecko site from the scam ones. We will continue to update this article with news, evidence and advice as soon as we have information to share.
The pop up shown on the genuine WatchGecko site if you visit us via one of the scam sites.We’d like to clarify that if you buy a product that is offered on one of our trusted websites listed and linked above they are genuine.
If you buy anything from one of the websites included in the screenshots, they're not genuine and not associated with us.
If you have concerns over the legitimacy of a product that carries one of our brand names, please get in contact with us. We’d be happy to provide you with some further clarity.
The above websites in the screenshots rely on unrealistic pricing to con people. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
