I would like to report a fake website… I would like to report a fake website and scam that I encountered. The website in question is thewhiskydistributors I was searching for some rare scotch to add to my collection and came across this website. I added the items to my cart but during checkout, I was informed to call a helpdesk number (512) 920-2547. A person named Rodrick Ashad (clearly a pseudonym) answered and asked me to Zelle the amount to liljody223 This ID was registered with Rasheed Owens. After I Zelled the amount, I was asked to send screen captures of confirmation. Later in the day, after repetitive calling, they sent me tracking information from oceanlinksexpress (which is again a fake site). The next day, I received a text message from (925) 450-2172 (Michael Graber) saying that I needed to pay $495 for insurance which is refundable at the time of delivery. This money needs to be sent via Zelle to (914) 525-4172 (Eric Mark). This is when I stopped responding and realized that I had been scammed. There were so many red flags throughout this process but because I wanted that scotch, I ignored them. I am writing this so that no one else gets scammed from these thieves.

Likely Fake There seems to be quite a few websites with spirits, alcohol, up these days. Two things point to this being a fake. The street view pics of the Dallas address seem to be in a dirt road area. No stores, just really small / trailer-like homes. The San Diego address is the side of a 3+ storey building. In of themselves, they don’t necessarily mean they’re not legit. However, on their contact page, their 1-800-# is 1-800-123-4567. Those two pieces combined lead me to believe this is a fake facade for money collecting/scam. Tread carefully if you’re looking for rare / out of stock sprits / alcohol. These sites are becoming really sharp / hard to distinguish as fake. Getting much tougher to spot fakes. Always keep the general rule of thumb in mind; if it’s too good to be true, it likely is. Good luck! Happy hunting.