DSW Outlet Scams: Real or Rip

Have you come across Facebook ads or tradeking foreign exchange platformwebsites known as “DSW Outlet” and wondered if they were legitimate? If you’re thinking of placing an order there, think again — according to our research, these websites are probably FAKE.Keep reading for the full review on DSW outlet scams and check out our online shopping safety tips. 

Impersonating Designer Brands Inc. (DSW)

Designer Brands Inc. (DSW) is a famous, long-established American company (founded 1969) that sells shoes and accessories from famous brands. However, its brand name is being misused in recent online shopping scams.

Example DSW outlet scam website

Legitimate site: dsw.com

Sample scam DSW URLs:

• Dswoutles[.]com
• Dswsale[.]online
   
  Note: the legitimate web address of DSW should be dsw.com.Take a closer look and don’t fall for any of the copycat websites!

Fake DSW Facebook ads ft. HOKA and Vans

We found that such scam web addresses are spread via fake Facebook ads. Hosted by bogus DSW Facebook fan pages, these advertisements feature tempting deals like HOKA shoes for only $19. Here’s some examples:

These ads will take you to the DSW outlet scam websites mentioned above. One telltale sign is that the fan pages running these ads are suspiciously young and DON’T have verification marks. Don’t get scammed!

DSW Outlet Scam: Red Flags

There are several red flags to help us come to a conclusion. Take the fake website dswoutles[.]com as an example:

• Too-good-to-be-true discounts. 
• Lack of customer reviews. 
• Low trust score on FTI.
• The website is very young – registered on Angust 21, 2023. 

Source:Whois

Given all the negative reviews above, we’ve identified Dswoutles[.]com and Dswsale[.]online as classic retail scam sites — don’t spend a cent there! If you do, scammers could steal your money as well as personal and financial information, and use the latter for criminal acts like selling to hackers on dark web forums.

How to Protect Yourself 

There are lots of scams and scam websites circulating out there, and it’s often stressful trying to tell them from the legitimate ones. However, for an easy and reliable method of detecting and avoiding scam sites, check out our free browser extension (Trend Micro ID Protection) and free mobile app (Trend Micro Check)!  

Both ID Protection and Trend Micro Check can protect you against scams, phishing links, dangerous websites, and lots more! If you come across something dangerous online, you’ll be alerted in real time so you’ll know to stay well clear.      

Try ID Protection It’s freeGet Trend Micro CheckIt’s free

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This article was published in collaboration with Trend Micro.

Image source: Pymnts.com