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Scams and fraud

The ‘knitted cardigan’ scam.

(40 Posts)
Witzend Mon 01-Sept-25 18:24:41

Featured on R4’s Scam Secrets programme.
For those who didn’t hear it, it involves usually Chinese based scams, offering what looks like fantastic bargains in knitwear.

Social media (mine, anyway) is awash with ads for very attractive jumpers, at very heavily discounted prices, usually ‘…because ‘Sadly we now have to close our much loved family business’ or some such lie.

These have mushroomed lately - please be aware!
The poor woman featured in the R4 prog. received some piece of rubbishy polyester fabric, with the design of the jumper she’d ordered printed on it!

Momac55 Tue 02-Sept-25 19:21:55

Agree

Primrose53 Tue 02-Sept-25 21:30:09

Momac55

Beware of a company called Arlistic, I bought a shirt and nice as the design is, it’s nasty polyester and not true to size. I think I need to offer them my first born to get them to swap it. They have confirmed that I ordered the wrong size so not their fault!!! They said clothes are made to deer but need my shipping label to prove I got it from them !!! They want me to send photos with a ruler showing the measurements !!! People don’t buy anything from Arlistic it’s a nightmare and the shirt is going to the charity shop, £18.99 abdzz xx a lesson learned .

Ignore what they say and keep pushing for a full refund. I ordered UK sized trainers but when they arrived they were about 2 sizes too small. I noticed that the Chinese conversion chart converts to US sizes not UK so not surprised they were much smaller. I argued with them and eventually they gave in and refunded me in full.

Gogo84 Tue 02-Sept-25 22:16:49

Please don't buy from these Chinese firms as they are undermining British companies. I try not to put a penny into the Chinese coffers especially as they are so pally with Putin. I hate to think that my money would go to their war machine.

FranP Wed 03-Sept-25 00:00:18

petra

Magenta8

On the same page as I type this on GN there is an advert for TEMU and I can see a picture of what looks like a chunky knit, patterned green cardigan. I looked into the advertisement and the cardigan is apparently on sale for £13.50. Other similar cardigans are only £10.50.

Am I allowed to point this out or will I face consequences?

It’s very likely that the two cardigans are from different companies. Are you aware that Temu is a shop where companies sell their goods.
Btw, why would you face consequences, and from who?
If your referring to me being banned from FB I was a tad more vitriolic than pointing out price differences 😂

I bought what was supposed to be a long length velour dressing gown for my niece. She is tiny, but wanted one to snuggle into. Ordered a length for 6ft man. It came about her knee length. I contacted Temu, and there was an instant refund, and they refused to take the item back as well. I reordered from a different supplier and it was perfect.
Temu do sell things that are perhaps not as good quality as advertised, but are good about refunds.

DH bought some hearing aids, carefully checked that the company was EU (French according to their website). The sent the wrong thing. The bullying then began- offered a 20% refund because we had "changed our minds", told us we had to pay postage back to China and could not guarantee arrival, so we would get nothing. When I replied with "goods not fit for purpose" and "failure to deliver" under EU and UK laws, they offered 30, then 50%. Actually gave us the idea, by telling us not to contact PayPal, so we did, and they retrieved the money, after we sent them the emails. He had done the right things by checking out the website and the company name, but guess there are sharks everywhere.

lemsip Wed 03-Sept-25 08:35:48

if it sounds too good to be true ignore it

JennyCee Wed 03-Sept-25 09:44:00

Magenta - I have used Temu for not for blouses or knits.
I cannot wear polyester or any man made stuff. I have just bought a rain mac and am pleased with it, but wouldnt ever choose a blouse or knitted jumper.
They have been quite professional as far as I’m concerned

Elegran Wed 03-Sept-25 09:57:36

I think somone has already pointed it out, but I'll repeat it - Temu is like Amazon, a shop front for many sellers. Most of the things they list are not from Temu itself but from the businesses who use them. Some of them are excellent and give value for money, some are just rip-offs, and it is the luck of the draw which you get. The percentage of ripoffs on Temuseem to be higher than on Amazon. This is also true of other online companies based in China and advertising independently
.
Because the sellers are mostly far away, their stuff has a long journey to you, and so does the arm of the law if you have to return unusable or unsuitable things. Caveat emptor is the rule. Check on the return policy and the company reputation BEFORE you hand over your money.

M0nica Wed 03-Sept-25 10:58:31

I buy nothing online if it says it comes from China. However some Chinese companies have bases in the UK, so this is not an infallible way of avoiding trouble, but it is as good as any.

I nevr have and currently do not think I ever will, use Temu, Shein or any of those other companies just because the probability of getting scammed is so high.

As they say up north 'You get ought for nought'. People should also remember this. Also 'If it is too good to be true, it probably is'.

Keenie25 Wed 03-Sept-25 15:43:52

Temu now have a warehouse in UK , Ive ordered from Temu but the wuality can be hit and miss so I stopped using them , also because they use child labour and also because of buddies with Putin and helping his war in Ukraine, I avoid everything Chinese

sunglow12 Wed 03-Sept-25 15:44:13

I learnt the hard way never to buy via face book having received no goods or very wrong sized goods . I did get a T..u cardi and micro toilet brush for £10 . The cardi was a lovely pink and humungous but each time it’s washed it shrinks more and more and it doesn’t look too bad now - nearly gave it to a larger friend than myself too . The toilet brush ? Visited the charity shop brand new maybe somebody has a small toilet or one of those new baby toilets that look like adult ones .

Keenie25 Wed 03-Sept-25 15:44:59

quality

Primrose53 Fri 12-Sept-25 14:25:43

petra

It must be more than 10 years ago when I group of us did everything we could ( for about 2 years) to get FB to take down the ads.
In the end we were banned from FB. We spent thousands of hours researching information.
You only have to look at GN to see that people believe the adds.
TBH it annoys me ( and the group) who spent so long trying to help people.

* petra* I had a message from FB to say two of my posts had been removed. Curious, I looked at what they were because I am extremely careful about what I post on there.

Turns out both were on those scam sites too. I was warning people to check out reviews before they purchased.

I cannot believe that they allow these firms to continue scamming people yet a warning gets removed!

shysal Fri 12-Sept-25 17:04:24

I have been searching for a compression bra for breast lymphoedema following cancer surgery and radiotherapy. I found what I was looking for on Temu at £3.30. I thought it was worth a try and it is perfect! As the minimum order value was £15, I ordered a collapsible laundry basket as my old one is cracked. When it came it was about the size of a sliced loaf! It is not worth the faff of returning it, so it will go to the next village swap shop. I shall now order multiple cheap bras.

Witzend Thu 18-Sept-25 08:43:33

There’s one for men’s clothing now. Once again, ‘sadly coming to the end of an era’ or some such lie.

I dare say the naive/clueless/vulnerable will still fall for them, though.