The holiday season often brings out the best in people – and unfortunately, the worst in scammers trying to take advantage of kind-hearted shoppers. That’s exactly what’s happening with an elaborate scam known as “Risetor.”
I dug deep into real customer reviews, complaints, and everything we know about Risetor so you can protect yourself. Here’s the raw truth about this holiday scam making the rounds in 2023.
What is Risetor?
Risetor first popped up in September 2023, registered as an online retail domain. At first glance, it looks like any other ecommerce store. But behind the scenes, something more sinister is at play.
The Risetor website claims to offer discount designer dresses, candles, Christmas decor, and more. Prices seem unbelievably low for fancy brands. And “testimonials” describe amazing deals on hot gift ideas.
In reality, Risetor is a complex scam operation running fake ads and mimicking real retail websites. The goal is to trick trusting holiday shoppers into handing over their money – without ever receiving merchandise in return.
How the Risetor Scam Works
The Risetor con relies on two key strategies: disguise and distraction.
First, Risetor disguises itself as well-known American retailers using convincing copycat websites and social media ads. Targets include major chains like Bath & Body Works, HomeGoods, Lowe’s, and specialty boutiques.
Then Risetor distracts customers with time-limited deals that are too good to pass up. Think 50-75% off list prices on popular candles, clothing, decor, and electronics.
Customers complete what they believe is a legitimate purchase transaction. Credit cards get charged by “Risetor” or aliases like “Rise Tor,” “Risestore,” “Ristore,” and “Ris Retor.”
But the products never ship. Delivery dates pass without any sign of orders. Risetor stops responding to customer inquiries. And victims discover they’ve been scammed out of hard-earned money with no recourse.
Spotting Risetor Scam Red Flags
While Risetor puts effort into concealing its true nature, several red flags can tip you off to the fact that “deals” are too good to be true:
- Prices significantly lower than major retailers for brand names
- High-demand products suddenly deeply discounted for holiday sales
- Mismatched logos, fonts, imagery compared to official brand sites
- Broken navigation links, typos, grammatical errors on site
- Missing seller address, customer service contacts, return policy
If you spot these warning signs, trust your gut. Don’t give the site your money or personal information. Report it instead.
Risetor Reviews: Real Victim Complaints
It doesn’t take much scrolling through Risetor reviews to realize nearly every customer was scammed. Here is a small sample of over 100 actual complaints:
“I ordered lawn Christmas decorations from Risetor in early November…I have waited 15 days for delivery to no avail. They took $37 from my account and will not respond to my messages.”
“I purchased $51 of Lowe’s holiday decorations that I never received. Seniors don’t keep falling for those great deals – there are none! I want my money back and those criminals in jail.”
“I bought what I thought were deeply discounted candles from the Bath & Body Works website for Christmas. Turns out it was a Risetor scam…I want my money back and items as soon as possible!”
“Paid $57 for Carhartt clothes on a website I thought was real. After I paid, the receipt said Risetor. They stole my money and ignored my emails. Stay far away!”
Nearly all complaints tell the same sad story. Risetor pretends to be a popular retailer, fools trusting holiday shoppers with unrealistic deals, takes their money, and disappears without sending any products.
Many victims lose $50 to $100 on average. But the collective amount scammed from the 2023 holiday season likely reaches into the tens of thousands across credit cards, bank accounts, and mobile payments.
How to Get Money Back After a Risetor Scam
If you fell for false Risetor deals, all hope is not lost. Here is what you can do next to get justice and potentially recover lost funds:
1. Gather all documentation. Save the Risetor order confirmation, bank/card statements showing the charge, transaction ID details, and any email or messaging correspondence.
2. Report fraud immediately. Alert your credit card provider or bank to dispute the charge as fraudulent. File complaints with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and Federal Trade Commission.
3. Spread awareness about the scam. Post your experience in reviews on ScamPulse, Trustpilot, Reddit, and other consumer sites. Contact your state attorney general’s office as well. The more light shone on Risetor’s deception, the greater the consequences.
4. Request a chargeback. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your credit card company must investigate billing disputes. As Risetor is fraudulent, there is a good chance of getting approved for a chargeback refund.
5. Consider small claims court. If other resolution attempts fail, you may be able to sue Risetor for losses less than $10,000 in small claims court without needing a lawyer. It’s still unclear who actually owns Risetor, but public legal pressure could help crack the case.
How Risetor Gets Away with Scamming Shoppers
Risetor manages to scam people criminally because online retail fraud is big business with little risk to scammers. According to FBI estimates, “non-delivery” scams like this produced over $30 million in losses 2021.
Yet chances of getting caught remain remarkably low:
🚩 Domains are registered anonymously offshore to avoid identification. For Risetor, that’s Iceland/Greenland.
🚩 Temporary “throwaway” domains cycle constantly to stay ahead of blacklists.
🚩 Sophisticated phishing tricks Like typosquatting lure victims. “Ristore” vs the real “Restoration Hardware,” for example.
🚩 Bitcoin payments make following the money trail difficult due to crypto’s pseudonymous structure.
🚩 Developing countries rarely investigate or prosecute ecommerce scams targeting Americans and Europeans.
So even when known schemes like Risetor get exposed, founders abandon one version and quickly launch another to bilk the next round of holiday shoppers.
How to Avoid Risetor Scams This Holiday Season
The crooks behind Risetor may keep evading the law indefinitely. So consumers’ best protection is learning how to recognize retail scams before they steal another dime:
✅ Stick with reputable national chains for online deals, not niche boutiques you can’t confirm are real.
✅ Search any unfamiliar shopping site on WhoIs.com to check domain registration details.
✅ Google the website name plus words like “scam,” “fake,” “review” to uncover complaints.
✅ Price check discounts against Amazon, big box stores, and brands’ own websites to gauge if they could be real.
✅ Inspect website quality closely. Logo continuity, writing level, functionality.
✅ Never pay by cryptocurrency, wire transfer, gift card, or other hard-to-trace methods. Stick with credit cards for fraud protection.
✅ When deal seems suspiciously good to be true, walk away rather than compromising personal or payment info.
The Bottom Line on Risetor.com Review
Risetor continues scamming online shoppers this 2023 holiday season with fake discount deals and mimic websites. They have stolen tens of thousands from innocent people just trying to buy special gifts for loved ones.
Hundreds of detailed complaints confirm Risetor takes payments but never delivers products. The criminal operators hide behind anonymity protections to avoid legal consequences as long as possible. Misled customers are left fighting to dispute charges and recover losses from this corrupt scheme.
Unfortunately, brick-and-mortar stores don’t hold all the answers anymore for reliable holiday shopping. Even reputable ecommerce brands struggle with third-party seller scams on marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart.
But with smart precautions like verifying domains, cross-checking prices, and listening to your inner voice when things seem fishy, we can avoid adding to the Risetors of the world’s ill-gotten gains.
Your best defense is refusing to be distracted from finding and celebrating the deeper meanings of this holiday season. Don’t let crooked Grinches like Risetor steal that away with their shallow greed masquerading as festive deals.
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