Afraid of getting scammed while shopping for a boat or outboard motor online? It's a valid concern. We commonly receive inquiries from customers who are anxious about making such purchases on the internet. With substantial amounts of money at stake and a surge in fake websites, it's no wonder that customers are wary of buying online. Bogus online stores offering unbelievable deals are on the rise. Scammers set up these fraudulent websites, promote them on search engines and social media, and either steal your payment details or deceive you into purchasing non-existent products. These illegitimate companies often have business listings and appear to have a physical presence on maps, despite lacking an actual location.
When shopping online, customers are not just seeking the best product for their needs; they're also looking for the best value for their money. Scammers may entice customers with low prices for boats or outboard motors, but despite an abundance of images and videos and a well-written description (likely stolen from a legitimate listing), the product is simply a sham. Here's a list of red flags to watch out for when you find a potential item to help safeguard yourself and your finances.
Look for Generic Website Content. Look for signs of poor design, such as low-quality images and typos or grammatical errors. Scammers can easily steal images and information from legitimate websites, so watch out for cookie-cutter websites that lack original content.
Check the "Contact Us" Sections Closely. Scammers often avoid direct communication, using excuses like being on vacation or abroad. Many scammers prefer using email, WhatsApp or chat to make contact. Be on alert if there is no phone number or the area code does not match the region. This goes for physical addresses as well. If the business location appears to be at a warehouse or storage facility or in an unlikely part of town, it may not exist at all. Look for images of a storefront and avoid businesses that only provide a PO Box for an address.
Check the Website URL. Scammers are no dummies and have developed ways to create websites that appear to be secure. In the past, it may have been sufficient to verify a website's legitimacy based on its URL structure. A legitimate website's URL will begin with "https://" instead of "http://," and browsers will show a padlock symbol to indicate a secure site. While these are still valid trust indicators, they are no longer adequate to determine whether a site is safe. Look out for websites with spelling errors or those attempting to mimic an established business.
Poor or Non-existent Reviews. Search for user reviews and reports of scams online. If a website scams other customers, those customers will usually make an effort to report it. Please read the reviews closely, as scammers can often fake reviews to their benefit. Look at third-party review sites such as Trustpilot and Yelp where reviews cannot be bought or sold.
The Business is Brand New. This is a common occurrence: fake websites spring up and vanish regularly. They might operate for a few months, deceive a few people into losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then vanish as quickly as they appeared. If the business listing or website is brand new, it is critical to make an effort to verify its legitimacy. This can also be said for new Social Media accounts. If their Instagram or Facebook only has a handful of posts and a low follower count, it may have been created for the sole purpose of scamming you.
The Business is Not a Certified Dealership. When buying big-ticket items like boats or outboard motors, it's important to purchase them from a certified dealership. This means that the dealership has entered into a legal partnership with the manufacturer (such as Yamaha, Honda, Boston Whaler, etc) to sell their products. To determine if a business is a certified dealership, visit the manufacturer's website of the brand you're interested in and use the "Find a Dealership Near Me" search to check for authorized dealers in your area. Never buy from businesses that are not certified by the manufacturer.
No Title or Documentation. If the company you are purchasing from shows no interest in helping you title the vessel, or in confirming the registration, it's likely that the unit you are purchasing does not exist. This might be a red flag indicating that you should proceed with caution. It's important to ensure that all the necessary details and documentation are properly addressed before finalizing any purchase to avoid potential issues later on.
We hope you find these tips on safely purchasing a boat or outboard online helpful. At Boat Specialists, we are dedicated to providing our customers with the same level of support, security, and peace of mind that we have offered since our establishment in 1976. As a family-owned business that has been passed down through generations, integrity and transparency are our guiding values. We can assure you that you will not find our superior customer service and satisfaction levels anywhere else, whether you choose to visit our physical store or shop on the world wide web.