Recently I got really into weird obscure antiques and found an item I was particularly interested in. The website looked kind of jank but it being a japanese site I didn’t think that much of it. After confirming with the owner of the second hand store that the item was still in stock I decided to make the purchase. I made the purchase by bank transfer from an ATM to the account they provided but since then, roughly a week has passed and the item hasn’t arrived.
I got curious and did a reverse image search of one of the photos of the items and found a near exact copy of the website with the only main difference being the name and location within Japan. Maybe this is some other distributor from the same company but still it got me nervous.
If the item doesn’t arrive, can I use the bank account and name they provided to get my money back?
3 comments
No you cannot. You can go down to the store and sort it out. You can report it to the police if it does not work.
https://www.kokusen.go.jp/ncac_index_e.html
They offer free advice on all consumption concerns and issues. Call them here.
This is a common scam in Japan. Most often the website is operated by a party in China. They disguise the site as a Japanese one to gain trust. They almost never take credit card and almost always ask for a bank wire. Once they have your money, it’s gone. The police also won’t likely touch it once they trace the source. Hard lesson learned. Never buy anything online with a bank transfer, it is terribly risky. I hope your purchase wasn’t a costly one.