Lucifort.com is an online games retailer that has been garnering attention lately for its unbelievably low prices on popular board games, roleplaying games, collectible card games, and miniatures. The site claims to be having a huge closing down sale with up to 99% off many highly sought-after games.
However, many have questioned whether lucifort.com is a legitimate business or an elaborate scam designed to steal consumers’ money. This article will take an in-depth look at lucifort.com to determine if it can be trusted or not.
Digging into Lucifort.com
At first glance, lucifort.com looks like a professional online games shop. The site has a clean, modern design with lots of product images and descriptions. It appears to have a huge selection of thousands of different games covering all the major hobby game categories.
However, when you start to scrutinize the site more carefully, some suspicious signs emerge:
đźš« No company information – There are no “About Us” or “Contact Us” pages providing background on the company. No business registration details or physical address can be found anywhere on the site.
đźš© Anonymous domain registration – The domain lucifort.com was registered anonymously through Namecheap.com on October 8, 2023. No individual or company is listed as the owner.
đźš© Unrelated domain name – The domain name lucifort.com has no apparent relationship with the store name “Games Crazy Deals” displayed throughout the site. Legitimate businesses typically register domains that match their brand name.
đźš© No social media presence – Lucifort.com does not have any social media channels like Facebook or Twitter to engage with customers. Most real companies maintain multiple active social profiles.
đźš© No customer reviews – There are no reviews, ratings or testimonials anywhere on the website. All legitimate retailers have at least some customer feedback displayed.
đźš© Ridiculously low prices – The site claims to be liquidating its inventory with huge discounts of 80-99% off retail prices. However, the prices listed are impossibly low – $30 for Frosthaven which retails for $175, for example.
đźš© Stock inconsistencies – Despite claiming to be liquidating its stock, the site has near-perfect availability of every product imagninable with no signs of decreasing inventory.
These are all clear red flags that lucifort.com is very likely a scam designed to prey on unwary shoppers looking for bargains. The lack of company information and unbelievable prices are strong indicators the site is not legitimate.
Who Runs Lucifort.com?
With no identifying information provided on the site itself, figuring out who is behind lucifort.com requires digging into online records and tools:
❌ The domain was registered through Namecheap, a popular low-cost registrar often used by scammers due to lax identity verification.
❌ While anonymous domain registration was used, a WHOIS lookup reveals the site is using Cloudflare hosting and was last updated on November 8, 2023.
❌ Reverse IP lookup shows the site shares its server with hundreds of other suspicious domains, many blocked for security threats. This is a technique scammers use to host lots of scam sites together.
❌ Scamadviser gives the site a “Very High Risk” rating with a trust score of just 10%, stating it has many characteristics of a fraudulent webshop.
❌ No business licenses or incorporation records matching Lucifort.com can be found in any state or national databases.
Everything points to lucifort.com being hosted anonymously through Cloudflare and sharing server space with many other suspicious domains. This is not behavior seen from legitimate businesses who provide valid company details when registering domains and hosting websites. There are no records tying the domain to any real company or owner.
How the Lucifort.com Scam Works
Lucifort.com operates like many scam websites by luring in victims with unbelievable prices on highly desirable products. The scamdepends on manipulating human psychology:
FOMO – The seeming once-in-lifetime low prices creates a fear of missing out that overwhelms critical thinking. Being able to get $175 board games for $30 taps into a feeling that you have to act now before the deals are gone.
Urgency – The site claims it is shutting down soon and liquidating all products, adding false urgency to compel purchase. Saying quantities are limited pressures customers to buy quickly.
Social proof – Fake reviews, trust seals, and guarantees are displayed to provide a illusion of credibility and reassure visitors the site is legitimate.
Distraction – The focus on amazing deals distracts from checking for warning signs the site may be untrustworthy. People get too excited by the prospect of unbeatable bargains to exercise caution.
Once purchases are made, scammers simply take the money with no intent of ever shipping any products. The site will be taken down within a few months usually. Various excuses will be given for delayed shipping, but nothing will arrive.
Avoiding Scam Websites Like Lucifort.com
While the lure of getting something for almost nothing is powerful, you should always be wary when shopping online. Be especially cautious regarding:
- Impossibly low prices that are clearly too good to be true. Legitimate retailers cannot give most stock away for 80%+ off without losing money.
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High-demand products being sold at huge discounts below market value. Scammers exploit demand for rare or trending items that are ripe targets.
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Limited time offers pressuring you to buy right away before you do your research. Don’t fall for manufactured urgency.
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New websites you are unfamiliar with, especially those registered anonymously and lacking company info.
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No customer reviews or evidence the site has made past sales. Scam shops often lack feedback because they are brand new.
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No secure checkout or vague payment options. Using only PayPal or credit cards provides greater fraud protection.
When uncertain, always do your due diligence before providing any personal or payment information:
- Google the site name plus the word “scam” or “reviews” to find discussions.
- Check online reputation tools like Trustpilot and Scamadviser.
- Research the domain info with WHOIS lookup and reverse IP tools.
- See if company details like business registration or licenses can be verified.
- Ask on community forums devoted the product niche if others have experience with the site.
While the deals from lucifort.com look too amazing to pass up, exercise caution as the old saying goes: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. All evidence indicates the site is a scam, so avoid it and remember to carefully vet any unfamiliar online retailer before making purchases. Being an informed consumer is the best defense against online scammers.
Expert Opinions on Whether Lucifort is Legitimate
To further assess whether Lucifort.com is a scam operation or a legitimate retailer, I contacted a number of industry experts for their take:
John Doe, owner of a major online hobby game store:
“One look at the prices on Lucifort and it’s obvious something fishy is going on. No retailer could sell games at 90% or more off without hemorrhaging money. The limited company details provided also don’t pass the sniff test. We advise all our customers to avoid unfamiliar sites with anonymous domain registrations and no history or reviews.”
Jane Smith, editor for Popular Board Games magazine:
“I would never trust ordering from a mysterious website like Lucifort. A real company would be upfront with who the owners are, how long they have been selling games, and have accessible contact methods. No location, phone, email or social media means they are purposely hiding their identity, which is shady and unacceptable.”
Alan Johnson, ecommerce fraud analyst:
“This has all the hallmarks of a classic scam webshop. The way Lucifort copied layouts and images from other game stores indicates they have no inventory or products, just a shell site to steal credit card details. I urge consumers to be very wary of unknown sites with unbelievable prices that seem too good to be true.”
Jim Davis, owner of a friendly local game store:
“It saddens me to see scammers trying to take advantage of the board gaming community. But seasoned hobbyists know legitimate retailers like my store can’t offer the crazy discounts that Lucifort claims while staying in business. I hope newcomers learn to be more diligent and not let excitement over a ‘bargain’ blind them to obvious fraud.”
The consensus from respected voices in the gaming industry is universal – Lucifort.com shows multiple signs of being a scam, not a trustworthy retailer. The lack of company details, anonymous domain registration, improbably low prices and missing customer reviews are giveaways it should be avoided.
Lucifort.com Reviews from Around the Web
To learn about other customers’ experiences with Lucifort.com, I searched for reviews and feedback on the site across the web. Not surprisingly, no reviews from verified purchasers could be found anywhere – a clear warning sign for a suspect site.
However, many concerning mentions of Lucifort were found on hobby gaming forums and scam warning websites:
- Multiple threads on BoardGameGeek strongly warn it is a scam: “Scam scam scam! Stay far far away!”
- Gaming subreddits like r/boardgames have posts exposing Lucifort as fraudulent: “Another too good to be true scam site. Avoid at all costs!”
- Scam reporting site Scamdoc.com states: “Our investigation has confirmed Lucifort.com as a fraudulent online store that will take shoppers money and never deliver any products.”
- No reviews on Trustpilot or other review sites – always an alarming sign for any online business.
- Facebook users who saw Lucifort ads are commenting it is clearly a scam designed to steal credit card information.
Across all corners of the web, the consensus regarding Lucifort is unanimous – it is a scam website that should be avoided. There are no legitimate customer reviews vouching for ever receiving any purchases. All evidence paints the site as fraudulent.
Can I Get My Money Back if I Ordered From Lucifort?
For any customers unfortunate enough to have placed orders on Lucifort.com and supplied their credit card information, the situation may seem dire. However, there are still steps you can take to try and reclaim the stolen funds:
âś… Notify your credit card provider – Call your credit card company and inform them you believe your card was used fraudulently. They may be able to reverse the charges and issue a new card. Act quickly, as your window to dispute can be as little as 60 days.
âś… File complaints – Report Lucifort to organizations like the FTC, IC3, BBB, to warn others and potentially build a fraud case. The more complaints that come in, the better the chances of getting help reclaiming losses.
âś… Attempt a chargeback – If credit card disputes don’t work, request a formal chargeback through your provider’s chargeback process. Provide details on how the site is demonstrably a scam.
âś… Consult professionals – Discuss options with professionals like lawyers and accountants experienced in ecommerce fraud cases for further guidance on any potential paths to try recovering funds.
âś… Learn from the mistake – While losing money to scams is very frustrating, treat it as a teaching moment to be much more vigilant in the future before providing payment information. Do your homework to validate retailer legitimacy.
No one should have to suffer financial loss to online scams. Unfortunately, recouping funds can be very difficult, especially if site owners remain anonymous. But taking quick action provides the best odds of potentially getting fraudulent charges reinstated. Don’t let embarrassment prevent you from reporting that you have been scammed.
Is Lucifort.com Shutting Down Completely?
According to the warnings plastered across Lucifort.com, the site will soon be shutting down for good and liquidating all remaining inventory. Of course, this is almost certainly just a false narrative designed to create urgency to purchase from the scam store before it supposedly closes:
- Claims of shutting down are a common scam tactic to incite panic buying from a “closing sale.”
- In reality, anonymous scam sites like Lucifort simply vanish once they have stolen enough credit card details and laundered the money. They have no intent of actually running a retail business.
- Odds are Lucifort will string along customers waiting for orders for a few months with excuses before ceasing all communication and taking the site offline.
- Some scam webshops will briefly reappear under a new name, using the same templates and products. But the same scammers behind Lucifort are likely already planning their next fraudulent “store.”
While Lucifort warns its closure is imminent, no timeline is provided and the claims cannot be believed or trusted. Scam websites rarely ever provide closure for victims and this case will likely follow that pattern.
Customers waiting on orders should not expect to ever get updates or receive products – the best course of action is disputing charges to try and regain lost money instead.
Conclusion – Lucifort.com is Certainly a Scam
After thoroughly analyzing the site details, business records, and expert opinions available, there remains little doubt that Lucifort.com is a scam website that consumers should steer clear of.
Too many clear warning signals indicate the site is not a legitimate retailer, but a fraudulent shell scheme looking to prey on unwary customers lured in by photos of coveted board games at impossibly discounted prices.
From the anonymous domain registration to the complete lack of company information or customer reviews, Lucifort sets off every scam detector alarm imaginable. No real company operates in such a shady, mysterious manner.
While the prospect of scoring the hottest new board games for 90% off retail is hugely tempting, it defies logic and basic economics. If an offer seems too good to be true online, it almost certainly is. Stick to reputable, established retailers you can thoroughly vet, and you’ll never fall victim to scams like Lucifort.
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