Giant warns bike buyers of scam website and is working to get it removed

Giant has warned customers of a scam website pretending to be the bike manufacturer and cycling retailer, potentially ripping off consumers, and said it has begun the process of trying to get it removed.

Giant's risk manager Alan Needle told Bicycle Retailer and Industry News that he has not heard of customers being affected "but can't be sure". The website, posing as Giant Bicycles' US domain, is now being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission, the body which investigates online scams in the United States, as well as Giant's Taiwan-based legal team.

It follows the pattern of many other fraudulent websites we have reported on in the past few years — with an at first glance believable website, but clear red flags with payment options including cryptocurrency, cash app or 'bankwire transfer', but no credit or debit card option, plus poorly written information full of spelling errors.

Giant believes the website is from outside the US, with other previous scams targeting them having been based in Indonesia, the Philippines or China, but said it has been "challenging" to identify.

"It has an effect on our brand and reputation, so even if someone hasn't put out their cash for this, it is something we take very seriously," Mr Needle said. "This is a problem for the entire industry. Everybody faces some level of this.

"I've looked at the URL to try to understand the registration, and it's really challenging on this particular one. I believe it's from outside of the US, but I don't have hard data.

"When you knock one site down, they pop up somewhere else. This is a game of whack a mole. The way you can control this is by constantly hitting them as fast as you can."

He also passed on some tips for customers to avoid falling victim to scam websites, repeating the much-heard truism that if a deal appears too good to be true then it probably is.

"These websites usually don't have a good flow and don't work very well," he said before highlighting other red flags, including missing contact details, payment methods, a lack of privacy policy and terms, websites that do not offer a secure connection.

He also suggested a lack of professional design, including the spelling mistakes seen on this one, or a lack of customer reviews can also raise alarm.

As Mr Needle pointed out in his comments, the issue of scam websites is nothing new. We have reported on numerous similar fraudulent attempts to take money from people interested in buying bikes or cycling kit over the past few years.

There appeared to be an increase in scam sites as a result of the lockdown boom in bike sales, criminals hoping to profit from the increased demand by selling from fake websites claiming to offer tempting discounts to buyers.

> Bike shortage sees scammers target shoppers with fake websites

In November, we reported that FSA, SRAM, and DMR had all reported fake sites during the autumn, with fraudsters apparently keen to make money from bargain hunters in the lead-up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas.

In 2018 too, Scott warned customers about fake websites with "too good to be true" prices, claiming to offer discounts of up to 90 per cent.

Limited availability and supply chain issues have also brought the problem of counterfeit products being sold online as cyclists were left searching far and wide for certain products and components.

Last year we spoke to Shimano about the issue, resulting in this handy feature to help you spot counterfeit bike components and avoid getting ripped off.