Duped by fake VivoCity post, man pays $95 cash on delivery for G-Shock that turns out to be counterfeit
A man was duped by a fake VivoCity social media post into ordering a Casio G-Shock watch from a bogus website - and ended up paying $95 cash on delivery for a counterfeit product.
Stomper Daniel said he wanted to share his experience so others wouldn't fall for the same scam too.
"I was scammed by this advertisement on Facebook about a G-Shock watch," he told Stomp.
The Facebook post appeared to come from VivoCity Singapore and described a too-good-to-be-true promotion.
It read: "So angry I just queued nearly four hours at VivoCity to buy the Casio G-Shock GM-2100-1A at a crazy 70 per cent discount - from S$319 down to just S$95!
"I've been a longtime G-Shock fan, and when I heard Casio was opening their very first official store at VivoCity Singapore, I rushed over right away. I never expected the crowd to be so intense - the line stretched like it was a concert. People were pushing, arguing, and security even had to step in.
"What made it worse? Right after I paid, the staff announced that the promotion was also available online because the store couldn't handle the overwhelming number of people. If only I had known... I could've stayed home and ordered it in two minutes - with free islandwide shipping included!
"To make up for the chaos, Casio officially issued an apology and extended the $95 deal to their online store. If you couldn't grab one at VivoCity, now's your chance - no queue, no hassle."
The post included a link that led Daniel to what appeared to be an official Casio G-Shock online store.
To order the $95 watch, he simply had to input his name, address, phone number and email. No payment or credit card details were required.
"I submitted those details, which I didn't think was harmful," said the Stomper.
Weeks later on June 20, he received a message from Ninja Van about a delivery.
"I totally couldn't remember what the delivery was for," he recalled.
"As I was not at home, my wife checked with me whether I ordered anything as the Ninja Van worker was delivering a parcel and said it was a watch. I told my wife it was probably the watch I saw on Facebook. The Ninja Van worker mentioned cash on delivery of $95 and I paid for it."
But when Daniel finally saw the watch, he realised it was fake.
"I compared it with the original watch on YouTube and official G-Shock web page," he said. "It is not the same."
As early as March 17, a YouTuber who goes by "The G-Shock Watcher" had already posted a video warning others about the scam.
VivoCity Singapore - the real one - has since warned Facebook users about fake accounts impersonating the mall, although it came a little too late for Daniel.
Fortunately, he may not be left out of pocket. On July 1, he said Ninja Van had responded to his complaint and agreed to refund his payment.
So he might just get his $95 back after all.
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