To be softened, and to lose one’s money

The web and social networks have this impressive capacity to inspire trust, to silence that little inner voice that calls us to be vigilant.

No one would give their credit card number to a complete stranger on the street who claims to make high-quality leather bags. But online, the fraudster who uses the exact same pitch is successfully making sales and lining his pockets.

This week, I came across an ad for Emma-Quebec on Facebook. The “elderly couple” who own the manufacturing workshop say that the time has come for them to move on. Next to an emoji of a broken heart, the following words: “Unfortunately, we have to announce that our leather collection is closing its doors,” a strange expression that should have raised my suspicions, as did the absence of an accent on the word Quebec.

The post included a photo of what appeared to be the soon-to-be retiree hard at work and a few examples of his creations. I didn’t see a thing. I thought it was credible. That Quebec had, unfortunately, just lost a craftsman and another local business. All the warm wishes for a happy retirement added realism.

A colleague pointed out to me that this may be just another example of a type of fraud that is all the rage these days: using a heartwarming story to justify a going-out-of-business sale or deep discounts. In reality, it’s just another tactic by unscrupulous people who are dropshipping (parachuting). This legal business model allows you to sell goods that you do not own by placing orders with Chinese sites like Aliexpress that deliver to consumers themselves.

In fact, in three seconds, Google told me that the image of Emma-Québec’s workshop was part of a stock photo bank sold by the Munich company, Westend61. As for the online store, it offers a range of clothing that has nothing to do with its advertising. It sells dresses, pants, blouses. But regardless of its offer, many women have been scammed.

One complains about receiving “a cheap vinyl mini shoulder bag,” another says her payment went through in Australia and the package arrived from China. Others believed the company had a connection with Héma-Québec, which organizes blood drives, and “wanted to help.” Many say this is the first time they’ve been scammed since they’re usually on the lookout. Clearly, well-crafted messages that arouse emotion, empathy and compassion can confound even the most cautious…

Other Quebecers have recently been taken in by a post from Atelier d’Émelie, a company that claims to sell artisanal, ethical and eco-friendly jewelry. “For every product you buy, we commit to planting a tree,” says its website, which is full of buzzwords like “natural,” “renewable,” “vegan” and “eco-friendly.”

On social media, the owner claimed that she had to put her production on hold because her grandmother was sick and could no longer manage the business with her. She therefore offered discounts to her customers to thank them for their loyalty. This story was fabricated and repeated word for word by other sites elsewhere in the world, discovered Noovo journalist Camille Lopez.¹. As for my colleague Charles-Éric Blais-Poulin, he questioned Facebook’s responsibility in this type of affair.².

In reality, Atelier d’Émelie sells the same models as Shein, Temu and Amazon, but at astronomically higher prices.

When you look at the site carefully, there is no address, no phone number. That should raise suspicion. But since a growing number of legitimate businesses can only be contacted through a form, the cards are muddy.

These two stories are reminiscent of the one about Quebec Vibes, which made a splash with its lined leggings “on sale for $50” and made in a Granby factory, in 2021 and 2022. The whole story was false. When the clothes were delivered, they came from China and their quality was disappointing. Imagine, Aliexpress was offering them for $2.82. Around the same time, Le Petit Écolier was infuriating parents looking for educational and locally made toys. This fake Longueuil company had gone so far as to use the face of a real surgeon from the Montreal Children’s Hospital to boast about the quality of its products.

Obviously, all it takes is a professional-looking website with a great story, fake testimonials from happy customers, a “free shipping” claim, and Facebook ads to get orders rolling in very quickly. Is it any wonder that scammers are taking advantage of this?

We distrust politicians, we distrust journalists, and sometimes even scientists, but when it comes to online stores, we buy without asking too many questions. There was a time when we relied on the name and reputation of retailers to make our purchasing decisions. Their track record and return policy weighed in the balance, too. Today, on the web, none of that matters anymore.

Please, before you risk losing your money on the website of a company you know nothing about, take a quick look at fraud-alert.ca. This site, which lists scams, could save you from an unfortunate purchase and a waste of time on the phone with your credit card issuer to claim an (uncertain) chargeback.

1. Watch the Noovo report

2. Read “Meta, the scammers’ playground”

Visit the website fraud-alert.ca