Too good to be true website?

Just browsing Facebook and up pops 90% off Montane site. Site address is Montanedeals.com

Someone’s gone to a fair amount of effort to replicate the site if it’s fake, I think it is. There’s no who.is DNS data for it and there is for the legit site, can’t see anything in relation to it on their main site.

It’s not me being super sceptical is it and it is as fake as they come? Especially when their contact is section gives hours but no way of actually contacting them 😆 , if it is fake there will be lots of people caught out by that I’m sure. Either that or it’s fake Montane gear that’ll look similar but nowhere near the quality…

Thoughts?

 Especially when their contact is section gives hours but no way of actually contacting them

More fake than Fox News taking about election results

Fake fake fake fake fake

If you have to ask…

I think Needle Sports were doing some decent Montane deals recently (not 90% though!), and they’re legit.

https://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Sale/Sale-Montane

I also saw this through a Facebook advertisement and had about five items in my basket before thinking it was too good to be true. Googling “montane website scam” confirmed my suspicions.

A lot of effort has gone into the site so could easily fool people

I always used to think trust pilot was beneath me but started using it a lot more recently. Saves clicking around on scammy websites.

https://mountain-kit.co.uk/

That’s where to go for cheap Montane kit.  I’ve bought a few things off them, factory seconds, limited samples and last season stock mostly.  But all genuine kit.

Always always check the contact details…

Had the same with Craghoppers about 2 weeks ago. Same SP… 90% off and all items in stock in all sizes.

PSA – Craghoppers Outlet sale

I’ll be honest, it got me. Bought 3 things for about £26 quid. Then suddenly realised that it was a scam. Contacted bank who confirmed that it was an Irish company that the payment went to. I changed cards just in case.

Got an order confirmation email, all again looked legit. Real long shot I decided to email and ask to cancel the order and refund. Amazingly I got a reply saying, in pidgin English, no problem and got a refund the same day.

If you report the ad to Facebook it’s taken down within 24 hours or so. Another will pop up in its place though. I’ve seen similar for Berghaus, Craghoppers etc.

Thanks it confirmed my suspicions! The big one was “factory shop closing down sale” , I googled the factory shop and it was far from closing down 😂

As echoed though these people put alot of time into these things, I do query if it is a scam as such or just knock of gear you’ll get. Or just a drained bank account?

There’s loads of them at the moment. I only go on Facebook occasionally but it’s covered in fake shop ads

Isn’t Martin Lewis in the process of legal action against Facebook about their refusal to do anything about scammers advertising on the platform with complete impunity?

As echoed though these people put alot of time into these things,

I suspect the website cloning is fully automated…

Facebook take nothing down at all – it’s utterly pointless reporting anything. In fact all it does is feed info into the algorithm about stuff you don’t like.

I’ve not looked but <brand>deals.com and 90% says massive swerve

Scam, as you have found. However, sportshoes.com often have really good montane deals, and are a reliable retailer.

Montane use eBay as their outlet, they also have a shop at North Seaton which has some excellent deals.

@The-Beard didn’t know that they now had a website, cheers.

It happens a lot on facebook, same set-up, different companies, always something like 90% off top end companies, have had to warn the in-laws a few times when they call and ask us if we want anything, to then see it’s clearly a cloned site, think the postage is also way off as well, surely Facebook are liable for the advertisement on their site, do they actually manage this type of scam or just take the money and ignore?

I reported a montane one on IG a few days ago. Got a email to say it had been removed but I guess it’s like whack a mole. Although if their algorithms are so damn good why can’t they spot them? I mean to a human they are so obviously scammy.

Funnily enough, I was in the Montane factory shop (https://mountain-kit.co.uk/) earlier this week when a member of staff happened to answer the phone to a caller on this very subject. Sounded like not the first call they’d had, and very (politely) pissed off that there was little they can do about an obvious scam.

So I can confirm, Montane factory shop not closing down and also loads of even more bargaintastic bargains in the summer sale until the end of the month. Some ridiculously cheap hooded down jackets, synthetic insulation, some shells etc. Definitely worth a look.

Funnily enough, I was in the Montane factory shop (https://mountain-kit.co.uk/) earlier this week

That web address returns a 404 not found.

It’s fine here.

What are the odds that montane AND Berghaus would BOTH have 90% off at the same time. Margins are good on clothes, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t just dump it through Sports Pursuit or TK Max.

Scam.

If you report the ad to Facebook it’s taken down within 24 hours or so. Another will pop up in its place though. I’ve seen similar for Berghaus, Craghoppers etc.

Don’t be daft… Facebook love paid ads.. the ad will run for how long it was paid for then another will be paid for,
I’ve given up reporting scams to FB, lots on local buy sell/support/MTB groups and FB never find anything against them and these aren’t even paid ads.

Scammers love FB because you open the FB browser by default.. especially on a mobile device

TiReD

What are the odds that montane AND Berghaus would BOTH have 90% off at the same time. Margins are good on clothes, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t just dump it through Sports Pursuit or TK Max.

A think a lot larger than you’d guess unless you have the data I think…. dumping excess and seasonal stock (with a few sizes in 5XL and 2XS only) at 90% to con people into clicking is pretty normal and they are both (in common to others) pretty much always have something at 60-70-80-90% off.
Just to STW but when was the last time “Wiggle/CRC/Tredz” etc. didn’t have a 90% off something?

Quite often legitimate “sales” are so poorly managed and formatted the scams look better organised.
I’ve been trying to get some bars for example and there is a genuine sale on Go-BLAH-Group… has been for months on Nukeproof Neutron .. the ad says “3 height variants” the “buy now” says “one size”. A scam site that allows me to select the variant on the face of it appears more legit in some ways.

My point really is the manufacturers themselves create our expectations of non professional offers and the scammers often at least initially seem more legit.

What are the odds that montane AND Berghaus would BOTH have 90% off at the same time.

What are the odds that anyone has 90% off at all unless it’s shoes with stock in size 3 and size 14?

when was the last time “Wiggle/CRC/Tredz” etc. didn’t have a 90% off something?

“Something,” maybe. But across the entire website?

Loads of people will quite happily buy counterfeit goods at crazy low prices by kidding themselves the stuff is real. Are the majority really being scammed?

Counterfeit goods is estimated to be the biggest area of crime globally so expect professional standard level websites as the rewards are clearly enormous.

scotroutesFull Member
If you report the ad to Facebook it’s taken down within 24 hours or so

Nope, as per Oceanskipper, I reported it and got an “this is fine, why are you complaining” reply…

there was an fake alpkit site knocking about a couple of months ago.
all looked very legit but they crazy cheap prices which set of the alarm bells.
stupid thing is if there were slightly more expensive they’d probably snare more people.

If you care sufficiently, the people to report it to are the real site owners. Some will protect their IP more aggressively than others.

I walk through Cotswolds outlet quite often and pick up some great bargains. Like under half price. It helps that I’m tall with big feet

But I’ve never seen 90% off from a uk outdoor clothing brand ever. Some one like Montane or Beghaus, not Mountain Warehouse etc. I’m happy to be shown links that prove me wrong

Scammers love FB because you open the FB browser by default.. especially on a mobile device

U wot now?