California Rider was Cheated out of $100,000! Beware of the Scam to Buy an E-bike

With the growing popularity of e-bikes, there has been an explosion of various counterfeit imported fat tire electric bikes. Almost everyone uses a variety of social media on a daily basis, but did you know that there is often a lot of creepy stuff hidden in these media dynamics? Many criminals know that you've been looking for adult e-bikes and they want to take advantage of your love of bikes to scam you out of your hard-earned money.

Deceptive social media advertisements

Everyone wants to buy the best product at the lowest price, but almost any product follows the "you get what you pay for" principle. If you see ads on Facebook or other social media websites for branded bicycles selling for only $99 or $199, please do not click or provide any personal information. This is almost certainly a scam, as this price cannot even cover the shipping cost of an electric bike, and no one is willing to make a loss-making deal. Of course, some legitimate brands usually have their own social media accounts, and you need to look for a blue check mark to see if they are verified!

The Old Switcheroo

When you have selected an e-bike brand and, like tens of millions of other online shoppers, type the brand name into a search engine, almost all of the first 3-5 results are paid ads hoping to lure you away from the brand you are looking for.

Make sure you read the headline and check the target URL before clicking on it. if the brand name you are trying to access is not in the URL, chances are it is a fake ad. For example, a user once saw an ad in a search engine that looked like e-bike, but clicked through to find a completely different electric bike company. 

Scam websites hide or distort bike specifications

Usually, people will first look at the product specifications when purchasing an electric bike, such as battery capacity, motor power, and torque sensor. However, for beginners, they are easily guided into scam websites where they cannot find any specifications and parameters for the brand or model they have selected on the advertisement page, and are redirected to the brand the website wants to sell to them.

In addition, when browsing on the website, pay attention to whether their specifications and prices match. For example, if you are find an electric bike with a 52V battery and 750W motor, the normal selling price for that model is likely to be $1000 or more, but if the website shows only $500, then it may be a scam website.

Fake electric bikes

Some riders may be curious, "I've seen this folding electric bike before, it used to cost $1200, why is it only $600 now?" The reason is simple - it may be fake. This is a long-running scam, and these scammers are good at imitating appearances. They can even use Photoshop on brand logos. For example, someone saw a HiPEAK BONA on a scam website for only $500, which looked almost identical from the outside, but upon closer inspection of the brand logo, it was found to display "HlPEAK" instead. So, how can you tell if the HiPEAK BONA 48V Step-Over Fat Tire Folding Electric Bike you see is real or fake? The best advice is to visit the company's official website directly, instead of eBay or other online third-party dealers.

Some safety tips for online purchases

1. Clicking the small padlock on your browse will display more information about the site, be sure to verify the site before providing any personal or billing information!
2. Always check that the site address is listed as HTTPS and not HTTP. S means secure, so you can trust the site to provide your personal information.
3. Avoiding buying a bike from a new company that has been on pre-order for more than six months. This is because supply chain issues and rising parts prices may put these companies out of business before you can get your bike.
4. Checking to see if the company has a customer service team, phone number and a way to submit questions/comments. Also if they offer a product warranty and return policy. If their website lacks these things, stay away promptly. 

Jack's experience of being scammed

According to local media reports in Los Angeles, California, last month, a 27-year-old rider named Jack wanted to replace his and his wife's old folding electric bikes with new ones. He searched online for his favorite brand and model and clicked on a website where he was attracted by the price of $499. This was $1000 cheaper than the $1500 price he had seen at a local bike store. Without hesitation, Jack ordered two bikes through this website. However, the day after placing the order, Jack received an email claiming to be from the official website, which included a new website link. They told Jack that because the electric fat tire bikes he ordered were so popular, previous orders could not be delivered on time. Therefore, if he wanted to receive the bikes as soon as possible, he needed to create a new order through the new link. They could expedite the delivery for Jack, but he needed to pay a small fee. Without being wary, Jack believed them and ended up paying the price of $100,000. When Jack realized he had been scammed, he tried to contact the "official" through email, website, and phone, but to no avail. In desperation, Jack had to choose to report the incident to the police.

If you don't want to experience the same thing as Jack did yourself or with your family and friends, understanding the following scam tactics and tips can effectively prevent a terrible online shopping experience!

Conclusion

For most average people, a great electric bike is both an important and expensive investment. To ensure the safety of our funds and get the best buying and riding experience, it's significant to keep the above tips in mind.