Outdoor product scams are nothing new, especially for premium or popular brands. Some find it hard to resist the lure of seemingly incredible pricing on gear or apparel with coveted labels. Some of these fake sites process the payment and do nothing afterward. Others send counterfeit products.
Our “in short” message? If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Readers informed GearJunkie about two fake websites this week advertising real products at ridiculously low prices. I investigated the websites, which turned out to be scams. I present the background of two scam websites masquerading as iconic outdoor brands — Rapha and L.L.Bean — to help spread the news and help our readers avoid falling victim.
Despite premium pricing, Rapha became highly coveted among road and gravel cyclists in its 20-year history. The British brand has always displayed classic and impeccable styling, and combined with avant-garde storytelling, it vaulted itself into the position of the “Louis Vuitton of cycling.”
L.L.Bean has been a staple outdoor brand since 1912. The brand rose to a level that some might call popular culture, and its mail-order business was a cornerstone in the industry. Remarkably, L.L.Bean only discontinued mail orders last year to finally completely shift to online and telephone sales to bolster its physical locations.
The widespread recognition and popularity of these brands, combined with the ease of online sales, make them targets for criminal schemes. Both brands sent us official statements explaining its efforts to curb swindling.
Despite brands’ efforts, customers must vet sites before clicking the “buy now” button. Purchasing outdoor apparel and gear cannot be any easier, more convenient, or quicker. This greatly lowers the caution you may exercise purchasing in person and makes the recovery of stolen money much more difficult.
In the end, it is up to you to do due diligence to prevent your funds from disappearing into the void of the internet.
Rapha Fights Back
The most recent counterfeit Rapha sites were raphacycling-sale.shop and raphavip.com. These sites offered heavily discounted Rapha kits and took cash from customers, but they didn’t ship any items. This site and other similar scams drew enough ire for Rapha to issue an official statement last week.
“As Rapha continues to grow as a global cycling brand, we have seen an unfortunate increase in counterfeit and imposter websites claiming to sell our products. These fraudulent copycats are targeting potential customers often through social media platforms, using attractive discounts to leave them out of pocket with no items shipped,” it noted.
Rapha explained that it has hired an IP protection specialist to enforce cease-and-desist legal action against the scam sites. However, it also stated that customers should reference the announcement to verify the authenticity of the sites they may use to purchase its kit. The brand offers these steps to ensure you are purchasing legitimate goods from approved retailers:
- Check the URL. The only website where you can buy Rapha products from us directly is rapha.cc. Any website with another URL claiming to be the official Rapha site, such as raphavip.com or raphacycling-sale.shop (still active) is not legitimate. To place an order or check your account, always go to rapha.cc.
- Verify advertisements. If you see an advert on social media that isn’t from an official account and isn’t directing you to shop at Rapha.cc, even if it uses Rapha imagery and logos, it’s not us. Our global account is @rapha, and it has a blue verified tick on Instagram and Facebook.
- Be wary of urgency. Be wary of false urgency or secrecy. Scammers might try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they’re asking. Be wary whenever someone tries to convince you that you must act now or cannot discuss with trusted individuals.
- Never pay over the phone. Rapha will never ask you to provide payment information over the phone. Check your financial institution records for unknown or suspicious account activity and seek the advice of your financial institution directly.
- Verify links first. Review the links for misspellings or repeated characters. Legitimate Rapha websites contain “rapha.cc” or ”support.rapha.cc”. If you are unsure, please contact customer services.
- Verify email senders. Legitimate Rapha emails contain “@rapha.cc.” In your web browser, hover over the display name under “From” to see the full sender address. Look for misspellings or added or substituted characters.
Although Rapha stated its legal efforts and these guidelines, it concluded with the statement, “We cannot be held liable for purchases made elsewhere,” underlining it to stress the point.
L.L.Bean Responds
The site that drew our attention to a potential L.L.Bean imposter was llbeanfactoryoutlets.shop, which is still active. I contacted L.L.Bean, and similar to Rapha, its response outlined its efforts to take fraudulent sites down.
“We actively monitor for fraudulent sites and move quickly to have them taken down. However, it can often be a difficult process. We know that fraudulent sites are a particular frustration for our customers,” the brand stated.
Again, similar to Rapha, L.L.Bean directed customers to an online resource that lists all legitimate websites and physical retailers authorized to sell its products. The resource also informs customers how to identify true L.L.Bean phone calls and emails and offers some solutions to those who have already lost money through fraudulent channels.
L.L.Bean also ends with placing the onus on the customer, stating, “We encourage customers to utilize this resource to double-check the legitimacy of a URL prior to making a purchase.”
Online Buyer Beware
Both of the above-listed scam sites look very legitimate. Even as an industry insider, the visual appearance looks true to the brand’s ethos and identity. The only thing that stood out to me was the pricing, which is extremely low.
I understand that these brands wouldn’t want to dilute their value structures with published pricing that undercuts anything I think I would ever see. But again, I live and work in the outdoor industry, so I have a much better feel than a value-seeking outdoor enthusiast might have.
I have been a victim of a few significant scams outside of this industry, and even through legal action, I have never recovered my funds. And in the end, I have to admit that I didn’t do the due diligence that the dollar amounts demanded. I was excited to get such a “good deal,” and the criminals knew what buttons to push and what emotions to leverage.
Both Rapha and L.L.Bean clearly state that customers need to exercise caution when shopping online. It’s so quick and easy to hit the “buy” button, and instant gratification is a lure that’s hard to deny. Don’t toss your hard-earned money into the void chasing a too-good-to-be-true deal.
