Beware of fake posts promising you a Samsonite suitcase for only 1.95 euros. The posts are circulating on Facebook and other social media outlets. They try to make you believe you can get a Samsonite suitcase for 1.95 euros. This set alarm bells ringing for VRT’s consumer affairs inspector because this just sounded too good to be true.
"Indeed, there is currently a veritable plague of online scams impersonating us," warns Samsonite's digital marketing manager Joeri Van Holder. "You never get to see your suitcase and on top of that, 50 euros is automatically withdrawn from your account every week."
The scammers are active through a variety of websites and apps but especially on Facebook. Samsonite is closely monitoring this and in collaboration with Meta, Facebook's parent company is taking those fake websites and accounts offline. "But for now, it's trying to empty the ocean with a thimble: for every fake page deleted, two new ones immediately take its place."
No suitcase to be seen
The suitcase manufacturer discovered the fake accounts and websites itself. "But they are also being brought to our attention via our customer service," says digital marketing manager Joeri Van Holder. "More and more people are reporting that they ordered a suitcase for 1.95 euros, but never got it."
"As soon as you enter your credit card number during that so-called ‘purchase’, you also become a victim of online scams."
After a while the fraudsters take 50 euros from your account every week .
"These fake promotions in the name of Samsonite have been going on for months. They have been increasing in recent weeks as the travel season is approaching," says Joeri Van Holder. "It started about seven months ago. You first only found suitcases offered for 1.95 euros in the Benelux, but now the fraudulent network has expanded all over Europe, the US and Canada as well as to Asia and South Africa."
For every fake Samsonite Facebook page deleted, two new ones immediately take its place: it's like trying to empty the ocean with a thimble” says Joeri Van Holder of Samsonite
Credible story with fake customer reviews
"Our company took a close look at the fake Facebook posts, and we discovered that unfortunately the scammers are adopting a very professional approach," says Christoph Bonte, general manager of Samsonite in the Benelux.
"They mislead consumers by photoshopping real photos of our warehouses and shops adding false information. Their promotion looks very similar to our corporate identity. They also hire people to post fake customer comments such as 'I just received my suitcase', with a photo attached."
Scammers use real photos of our warehouses and shops. But they photoshop them with the message "promotion 1.95 euros" attached says Christoph Bonte, general manager Samsonite Benelux
The scammers also have a credible explanation for the huge drop in price. They make the customer believe it is a huge stock sale after the Russian branches were shut down due to the war in Ukraine. "It's true that our sales in Russia are down, but that's not why we are giving our bags away for free," he said.
Facebook helps fight fraud
For months now Samsonite has been working with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to combat the problem, says Joeri Van Holder.
"Meta gave us a "brand protection tool" to take rogue pages offline within 24 hours. But the trick is to distinguish the real pages from the rogue ones. Because the difference between the two is almost impossible to tell. That's how good the scammers are at copying our pages.
Priced at 1.95 euros, alarm bells should start to go off
So how can you as a consumer know it is a fake ad? "Producing a suitcase for 1.95 euros is simply impossible. You wouldn't buy a loaf of bread for that today, let alone a suitcase," says Christoph Bonte. In other words: if it seems too good to be true, it is.
"Also be sure to always check the URL, because it is not ours at all. Our URL is https://www.samsonite.be/nl/home . All the others are fake."