On the internet, a number of publications are making the claim to offer mystery boxes that are packed with Amazon returns. Is this a phishing hoax or is it actually true? We'll explain the situation as it actually is.

Many of you have emailed me about articles you've read on Facebook. They promise us a variety of unclaimed Amazon goods, primarily electronics, at very appealing prices.

It is true that many returned Amazon items wind up in landfills and recycling facilities since it would take far too much time and effort to handle them all with the suppliers.

In reality, it's a little more complicated than that, so we tried to explain how to prevent getting taken advantage of.

The short answer to the question "Do such offers really exist? " is yes, it does, but... There is a significant BUT that immediately follows, though.

The cases of local business owners who choose to sell these "boxes" were already documented by the newspapers Les Affaires and Radio-Canada in 2021, respectively.

When presented with such information, it is impossible to deny its existence. On the other hand, as is frequently the case, bad actors seize upon such occasions in an effort to con as many people as they can.

As a result, these scammers construct websites and Facebook pages that look genuine and offer to sell overstock items from major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc.

They promise us the moon and parcels full of expensive electronics in exchange for a ridiculous cost, but they are nothing more than empty shells.

They simply want consumers to go along with the joke and take a chance on purchasing one of their boxes.

You do, in the best situation, receive something, but it is incredibly unsatisfactory. In the worst situation, we don't get anything, or even worse, our credit card information is stolen by fraudsters and they use it to make expensive purchases that we have to report.

How to spot phony sales sites and advertisements

How can you distinguish between genuine and fraudulent items now that we've shown that you can buy Amazon boxes in Quebec but that many unscrupulous persons use this knowledge to try to con you?

First of all, one of the unique aspects of these Amazon box merchants is that in addition to offering online purchases, they frequently also have in-person sales.

When you pay the merchant immediately in cash and in person, shouldn't it be difficult to fraudulently use your credit card?

You can also utilize other techniques and resources to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent items. First, you might use a website like Scamadviser or France Verif that flags shady and fraudulent retailers.

You can also read customer reviews if it's a Facebook page, but you should exercise caution because it's typical for con artists to purchase reviews on websites made specifically for that purpose.

Finally, you must believe in yourself. When something seems too good to be true, especially when discussing Amazon's mystery boxes or other offerings, it usually isn't genuine.

Additionally, some websites promise to sell pallets of many boxes that are being liquidated using the same logic as mystery boxes.

These websites' graphics display an enormous amount of content, and, seemingly by accident, the prices are always absurdly low.

Basically, the website bases its trust score, which ranges from 0 to 100, on a number of characteristics, including the nation in which it is hosted, the volume of online traffic it receives, how long it has been online, etc.

There are other little things to keep in mind, such how much information a website's owner posts online. If you can't reach them via phone or email, there's probably a problem.

When a store cannot guarantee what you will find, buying goods from them in person is akin to playing the lottery.

In conclusion, getting can be enjoyable, but you must exercise extreme caution to avoid falling for a con artist's trap and running the chance of not receiving anything or, worse, of having your credit card used fraudulently.