Don’t Get Scammed

I’m getting really fed up with scammers, particularly the ones claiming to be American military veterans. So, today I went down the rabbit hole and put together this primer on how to recognize, avoid, and report internet scams.

Clicking the link on the Facebook ad takes you to this web page, which claims to offer a wooden flag hand-made in the United States by a genuine military veteran for the low, low price of just $39.95. BUY NOW to get the Big Sale Price. Order TWO and get an even bigger discount! Frankly, you might as well flush the money down the toilet. At least then it wouldn’t go straight into the coffers of the scammers who will (a) harvest your personal data, (b) send you some cheap crap (or nothing), and (c) never, ever refund your money.

Doing a Google Image Search of the flag photo revealed it was stolen from a retired Floridian’s wood shop. He is sold out of that particular model, but when he had it, he rightfully got $265.00 for it.

The schmucks who made the fake site even stole Ferrell’s video for the Facebook ad, which I have seen from other people’s complaints, Facebook does not care about! S’funny thing how fake ads get a pass, but saying anything negative about the Wuhan Flu gets your Facebook page locked for a month. Kinda makes you think these fake ads are coming out of China, dunnit?

Going back to the fake Facebook profile for “James Anderson” … I googled the Mississippi address on the fake Facebook profile. It does not exist.

I did an image search for the banner photo. It’s a designer outlet mall in the UK.

I did an image search for the profile photo. The only result was to a barbershop that appears to be a well established business in Yorktown, PA. The only image match on the page is a link to the flag scam.

Going back to the fake flag website … clicking the black banner at the top assuring customers of the company’s excellent reputation goes nowhere. Elsewhere on the site, they actually have the gall to talk about protecting intellectual property rights!

Scrolling down … note the odd syntax in “TIPS: Our goods are authentic, 100% handmade, counterfeit must be investigated! Customers, please identify our products!” I think this is one sign the site is foreign. It’s also funny, since it basically admits the good are 100% counterfeit.

Scrolling down … another sign of a fake site is pressure to BUY NOW!!

Scrolling down … a photo of “my little studio” shows a very clean room devoid of wood working tools. Google Image Search identified the green machine with the big crank at the bottom left as a rolling mill used cold roll metal sheets and wire to produce thinner gauges or transfer textures. At the back, there appears to be a stump with a tool for stapling or riveting. And on the right, I see a self-healing cutting pad with an architect’s scale ruler on top and a heat gun. At the front right, there is also a mouse and laptop, two things you would definitely not find in a wood shop, because the sawdust would ruin them.

Google Image Search found the exact same “My little studio” photo at another fake Veteran site, this time posing as the workshop where alligator hides are turned into beautiful wallets. Google Image Search of the wallet photo showed the exact same wallet for sale at Temu (Chinese) and an Amazon store (Chinese).

I took a quick look at the home page of the site where the fake flags are being peddled. Note again the odd syntax in the banner and how it has nothing to do with the products listed below. I didn’t bother to do image searches on more than one. It turned up another theft.

What can you do? Besides learning how to identify these scammers and avoid being taken in, you can spread the news on your own social media or other internet platform by linking to this post. CLICK https://www.tiktok.com/@truepatriotsmagazine/video/7344821407366253867 [3:09] to see what John from True Patriot Magazine did.

For more information on how to report a scam @ https://www.verified.org/articles/guides/how-to-report-a-scam-website. You can report scammers to:

• USA.gov @ https://www.usa.gov/scams-and-fraud
• Federal Trade Commission @ https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/
• AARP @ https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/

In addition, you can look up businesses and/or leave reviews @ https://www.trustpilot.com/. N.b., I left one for a scam site I had not purchased anything from, but had done Google Image Searches, etc., like I did for this one. They published it.

SOURCES I USED FOR THIS POST

• Fake Facebook ad links to fake sales site @ https://www.spttk.com/products/honor-us-flag-with-cypress-trim
• Fake intellectual property rights statement @ https://www.spttk.com/pages/intellectual-property-rights
• Fake Facebook profile for James Anderson @ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555165442325
• Designer mall in Bicester, UK @ https://florence-rose-accommodation.co.uk/10-best-things-to-do-in-and-around-bicester/
• Rolling mill @ https://www.amazon.com/Jewelry-Rolling-Mill-Combination-Tabletting-Equipment/dp/B081JG7NPJ
• Leather wallet with identical boiler plate website @ https://www.relkto.com/products/handmade-genuine-alligator-mississippiensis-wallet
• Fake rustic flag clock @ https://www.spttk.com/products/flag-clock
• Real flag clock by Fitz Carvings @ https://www.etsy.com/listing/1358707089/american-flag-clockrustic-usa?click_key=95031cf034ab18cc1bab77057500e96098e4bdac%3A1358707089&click_sum=6decb1a1&ref=shop_home_active_2&pro=1&frs=1
• Fitz Carvings reviews back to 2021 @ https://www.etsy.com/shop/Eitzcarving?ref=l2-about-shopname#reviews
• Real Darryl Ferrell’s TikTok videos @ https://www.tiktok.com/@darrylferrell77
• Real Ferrell Flags store website @ https://www.ferrellflag.com/
• Real Ferrell Flags Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/people/Ferrell-Flag/100057219499611/