How to Spot a Mystery Box Scam Before You Order

Mystery box offers often sound too good to be true. All those products for a bargain price? Something just feels off. Spoiler alert – it often is. Unfortunately, many of the mystery boxes listed online turn out to be scams. You either receive a box filled with cheap, low-quality, and even counterfeit items or… nothing at all. Here’s how to spot a mystery box scam before ordering a big box of bamboozle.

Check the Source

Mystery boy offers can find you in all sorts of ways. You might receive an email, see an ad on an e-commerce platform, or stumble on unboxing videos on social media. The source of information can be the first to tip you off that something isn’t right. No popular retailer would send unsolicited emails to customers to promote a mystery box. Such good offers would practically sell themselves. Also, don’t let the unboxing videos fool you. You might recognize the person doing the unboxing – a celebrity or an influencer – but look carefully. It might very well be a deepfake.

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Examine the Platform

Sometimes, mystery box scams can pop up on major e-commerce platforms like Amazon or eBay. However, these platforms usually protect their buyers. That’s why scammers go for less regulated websites or standalone platforms. If the platform hosting the mystery box offer is of poor quality, that should be a major red flag. However, there’s no need for any detective work on your end. You can simply use a scam detector.

All you need to do is copy the link to the website and wait for a report.

Visit the Official Website

Suspicious mystery box offers often include products from major brands like Sephora and Apple. You can quickly verify whether such an offer even exists by visiting the official websites of those brands.

Study the Description

Not all mystery boxes are scams. That’s important to remember. Many brands use these as a fun way to sell surplus inventory or promote new products. However, you won’t see these brands offering three designer handbags and five premium watches for $15. So, you should study the description of your offer carefully. If it sounds too unbelievable, you should probably not believe it.

Pay Attention to the Price

Believe it or not, some mystery box offers will be completely free. You just need to pay a small shipping fee. If this got you excited, we’ve got bad news. It’s probably a scam. These types of offers usually are. The same goes for mystery box listings with different pricing tiers. These will offer you higher chances of receiving a top-tier product if you pay more. In this case, you should pay them exactly…$0.

Reach Thorough Reviews

When it comes to mystery box scams, reviews are a tricky thing. Those dubious standalone websites can easily populate their pages with fake five-star reviews to lure you in. These reviews will usually sound overly enthusiastic.

However, it’s different with trusted platforms. You should always check the lowest ratings on these platforms first, as the highest can also be planted. If those reviews raise concerns, it’s a sign to proceed with caution.

Check the Payment Options

You should stay cautious until the very last step. If that step – the payment – is something untraceable, like a gift card or a wire transfer, it’s not too late to back out. Legitimate sellers will always offer secure payment methods like credit cards or PayPal. These methods offer added protection in case something goes wrong.

Verify Another website

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