Leading up to the holiday season means that lots of people or shopping online, even more so than usual. This also gives new opportunities to scammers. There has been a very informative and eye-opening discussion on the LEGO Ambassador Forum about all the fake LEGO shopping websites popping up on a pretty much daily basis. Below, I have included some information about the different type of scams you may run into, as well as LEGO’s response to this growing problem.
➡ SAFE PLACES TO LOOK FOR LEGO ONLINE: If you regularly shop for LEGO online, you most likely already have the Online LEGO Shop saved in your favorite links. You can also safely reach the Online LEGO Shop via well-known LEGO forums and blogs, as they link directly to the Online LEGO Shop via their affiliate link (they earn a small commission on sales which helps support their efforts). Other popular places to shop for LEGO online are Amazon and the websites of large retailers like Wal-Mart and Target. And there are also some smaller online retailers and toy shops that may carry LEGO in their inventory. In general, it is best to visit these websites by directly typing their address into your browser’s address bar.
➡ UNSAFE PLACES TO LOOK FOR LEGO ONLINE: People usually end up on unsafe websites by either clinking on a link from an email, or via links they find on social media (either ads or links forwarded by friends). Currently, the favorite place for fraudsters is Facebook. They place ads enticing buyers with too-good-to-be-true prices (see the image above with 80% off sale on some of the most desirable large LEGO sets!). Sadly, these ads are often circulated by friends and family who are just trying to be helpful. The links from the ads take unsuspecting shoppers to websites that look almost exactly the same as LEGO’s own online shop, except for the ridiculously low prices. Being excited by the deals, people fail to notice that they are on a fake website, giving their name, address, and credit card information to fraudsters. Of course, they won’t be receiving anything after they placed their order, and their personal information will be used in other scams as well.
➡ HOW TO AVOID FAKE LEGO WEBSITES: Do not click on links from Facebook or other social media ads. If LEGO is running a sale, you can go directly to their website, and find all the sales under the items for sale tab of the Online LEGO Shop. LEGO does not run social media-specific sales. You can avoid pretty much all scams by just this one method. If you do end up clicking on a link from an ad, check the address bar of your browser to make sure you are actually on LEGO’s website. This method is not foolproof as scammers often make their web address something like legofanstore.com, or legodeals.com, or legoengland.com, or legovipclub.com (see image below). To be clear the actual Online LEGO Shop address always starts with shop.lego.com. If the ad you find on social media is not imitating LEGO but another toy retailer, you should still follow the same steps. Go to the website directly and look for the sale there, and check the address bar to confirm that you are on the actual website of the retailer.
➡ LEGO’S RESPONSE TO FAKE LEGO WEBSITES: LEGO’s legal department is actively fighting these fake websites, however when they finally force one to be taken down, two new ones pop up. Educating consumers is the best way to fight this epidemic, and the LEGO Legal Department made the following statement:
We are aware of the existence of websites that mislead consumers in different ways and we take all of these incidents very seriously. While we cannot comment on our specific actions, what we can say is that when we are made aware of or observe any situation where consumers are misled and our intellectual rights are violated we always take the appropriate actions to protect consumers as well as our brand.
We believe that consumers should always be aware of when they are purchasing a genuine LEGO product and when they purchase something else – and they should not be misled during the process of purchase.
We are aware that it may be difficult to identify a fake website, but if in doubt, consumers can be certain that the official LEGO shop on www.shop.LEGO.com is genuine.
➡ OTHER LEGO SHOPPING SCAMS: There are other LEGO shopping scams going on as well – again, mostly circulated on Facebook. The Chinese company Lepin has been making exact replicas of genuine LEGO sets, selling them for about half the price of official LEGO products. LEGO is actively fighting Lepin for the blatant copy of their products, but fighting for IP rights in China is a difficult and lengthy process. While some online Lepin resellers will ship actual products, others are fake websites that will only steal your personal info and won’t ship anything. Lepin and other Chinese companies are also running another scam, where they copy the creations of LEGO fans and sell them as their own products, giving no credit or compensation to the original creator. Here, also, there are two variations; you will either receive a product made of fake LEGO elements of varying quality, or you won’t receive anything but your personal information will get stolen.
In summary, fake websites that pretend to look like LEGO’s own website selling LEGO sets for too-good-to-be-true prices should be avoided, as these are always scams. Purchase LEGO sets either directly from LEGO, or from reputable retailers. If in doubt about a link from an ad, visit the website directly. Purchasing sets with models that were stolen from LEGO or from LEGO fans is a possibility, but it severely hurts the hobby and the people involved in it. LEGO fans are already much less willing to share detailed pictures and instructions for their designs because of fear of their model being stolen. In the video below, well-known LEGO Technic fan Sariel discusses his models being stolen, and unfortunately, there are many other examples.
On a brighter note, look out for LEGO sales and special offers during the holiday season both directly from LEGO and reputable retailers. There are always great offers this time of the year, like Double VIP Points, freebies, clearance sales, etc. And, if you are interested in unique custom designs, it is best to contact the creator to ask if they would be willing to share instructions, support their projects on LEGO Ideas, or purchase custom models and instructions through the various LEGO fan sites that offer them.
What do you think? Did you ever run into any fake LEGO websites, fishy ads, or offers that were clearly scammy? Feel free to share your own experiences and discuss in the comment section below!
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That’s scary. Some of those websites look exactly the same as the lego site. But their names are weird. How do people end up on these sites?
Oh, I see, I just read that part. Facebook ads. Good thing we don’t use Facebook at all.
Yeah, usually people just click on an advertisement that looks like a LEGO ad.
What do you do if you get scammed? Call the credit card company?
Yes, you should call your credit card right away. They should be able to direct you what to do next.
Shame on these scammers. What are they looking for? Credit card numbers? Can Lego stop them?
It sounds like a difficult process to stop them. Scammers will always pop up when there’s money involved…
That’s very true.
Some are fishing for credit card numbers, others will actually send you something, so you can’t dispute the charge. Yes, LEGO’s legal department is on it, but as soon as they force a fake site down, they pop right back up. It’s an endless battle.
Don’t ever shop through Facebook. It’s not safe. If you are interested in a product that you see on Facebook, just look it up outside of Facebook. You will likely get a better price too. Speaking of prices, if they appear too good to be true, they are scams.
That’s good advice. Basically you handle them the same way as sketchy emails or calls; do not respond through the email/call, but contact the company directly.
People run into trouble when they don’t check the links. Always check to make sure you are on the Lego (or whatever it is) website. The scary part is when they make it look so similar to the real thing. like the legovipclub.com example above. Best is to not click on links at all.
These types of scams are not unique to Lego. Disney has the same problem. I have seen friends fall for them on Facebook many times.
Of course. Scammers would act on all popular brands and products and people’s gullibility.
That’s sad to hear… 🙁
I just got scammed with the fake lego the mountain cave with 3d printed crap. sorry for the language, but that is excactly what it is. they didnt want to waste a single penny on ripping me off. they even copied the instructions.
Jacob, really sorry to hear that. This is why I recommend to shop from LEGO directly, or for retired sets, use reputable shops on BrickLink (the online LEGO marketplace). If you paid with PayPal or a credit card, make sure you open a dispute right away. You should at least be able to get your money back.
Ordered two harry potter sets for christmas. Never received them. I am unable to shop do to disability so did a lot of online shopping. I got taken many times and lost a lot of money.
Can you tell me if this site is an illegitimate LEGO site? I just made a big purchase, as I did not know at the time that there are fake lego sellers out there. This is the site: bellyshops.com
Lori, that site is fake. All you have to do is look at the url. Bellyshops? It has nothing to do with LEGO. Just like when you do financial transactions, always make sure that the url of the site is legitimate.
Why does Facebook continue to allow these site to pervade someone’s page with false adds and phony web sites? I would love one of these large Lego car kits but cannot afford the over 300.00 price tag. After looking at the Lego web site and the Lego products on Amazon, this ad comes up the next time I log into my Facebook page. https://lgshop.top/
I was wondering if legoshop is a legit site
Is Girafer a legit site for Lego kits?
Hm… I’m not sure, Elaine. Never heard of that store before…