Too good to be true? Insane deal on Chosera stones, but website looks funky

[Malcolm Schweizer]

So I ran across this site:
http://casayuyo.cl/34sale2015v1d9r6m...a8cf0241665b39

They have Chosera stones for 1/2 what others are selling them for, but the site looks kind of unprofessional. The home page looks very copied and pasted, and if you take out the rest of the web address and just go to casayuyo.cl it's apparently the former home page for Casa Yuyo in Chile, and the CL address would be Chile. The seller claims to be in Malaysia.

Looks awfully fishy, but the bait sure does look sweet. I could use that 5K Chosera for 1/2 price. I'm passing for now, but would be interested to know if any of you have bought from this place.

[Bert Kemp]

Put it on a credit card and your covered, ask for tracking also

[Malcolm Schweizer]

This is how fish get caught. "I think it's a trick, don't eat that worm!" "But that worm is sooooo juicy, and hey- what could happen?"

Actually, I have fraud protection on my card, and I even keep a card with a $300 limit that I pull out if ever in a bind in a sketchy place in a third-world country (happens a lot in my travels). If they get the number, they only get $300 max. That said, however, I think the responsibility lies on my shoulders to use the card wisely and not put the card company through that expense. In this case there are too many red flags. I wish they took PayPal, but even then I would be very sure that the site didn't take me to a fake PayPal and scam my password.

[Dan Hintz]

LOL, God no!

There's no secure shopping cart for payment, and actual payment is done through... wait for it... iTunes gift cards. Here's some lovely text from the site on it...

Providing Quality Products with Low Price, We Need Fast Cash Flow for Low Profit:

As we are located in China, it is not easy for us to receive money from gloabl customers just for a low profit:
1. Paypal does require too high service-charging-fee (above 25% of total amount) from us.
2. Western Union is not safe for buyers. Also, it is not convenient to make a transaction.
3. Credit card channels usually hold the money at least 25 days.
Therefore, now we do accept iTunes Gift Cards for your payment. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Why Pay Order by iTunes Gift Card?

1. Easy: You could buy iTunes Gift Cards at online & offline stores anywhere. And they support most of payment methods including Paypal, Credit Cards, eWallet, Bank Transfer, Cash, Bitcoin and so on.
2. Safe: You could call Apple Store and report a scam for any reason. And then the Gift Card will be terminated and its bundled account will be banned. Finally, you could apply a refund from Apple Store with your paid bill receipt.
3. Fast: You could got the card code immediately after you paid no matter online or offline. we could ship your package immediately after you send us the iTunes Gift Card Code. No waiting time!
4. Discount: We could give you more discount when you pay it by iTunes Gift Cards! For example, if your order is $48.69, you just need to pay $45 by gift cards.(Check below table for details)

After you got the iTunes Gift Card Codes, Pls send us the information at billtodiscountorder@gmail.com :

Your Name :
Your Country :
Your Order No. :
Your Order Amount :
iTunes Gift Card Codes with Amount : (For example, $25 iTunes Code:XXWM3DE3HUJJWEWS)
Currency : USD (We could only accept USD card. You could buy it on the recommended stores below.)
We will ship your package within 24 hours and you will receive a tracking number ASAP!

Pls Check Below Table to Pay Order

Your Order Amount(USD)	Your Need to Pay iTunes Gift Cards(USD)
under $14.99	$10
$15.00 - $19.99	$15
$20.00 - $24.99	$20
$25.00 - $29.99	$25
$30.00 - $34.99	$30
$35.00 - $39.99	$35
$40.00 - $44.99	$40
$45.00 - $49.99	$45
$50.00 - $54.99	$50
$55.00 - $59.99	$55
$60.00 - $64.99	$60
$65.00 - $69.99	$65
$70.00 - $74.99	$70
$75.00 - $79.99	$75
$80.00 - $84.99	$80
$85.00 - $89.99	$85
$90.00 - $94.99	$90
$95.00 - $99.99	$95
$100.00 - $104.99	$100
... ...	... ...

With discount of $0.01-$4.99, it is easy to pay a multiple of $10,$15,$25,$50,$100 iTunes Gift Cards(USD). If you are not clear how much to pay, pls contact us!
(For example, if your order is $41.69, you just need to send us $40USD iTunes gift card.)

Here are 3 recommended online stores for iTunes Gift Cards:

(ONLY For US Customers by Paypal)
https://www.paypal-gifts.com/us/itunes.html (For All Global Customers by Credit Cards, WebMoney, PerfectMoney, Bitcoin and more)
http://www.jour-cards.com/itunes-gift-cards-store.html (For All Global Customers by Paypal and Credit Cards)

Not to mention there are a slew of other sites linked to it with the exact same format but offering different items (like Mickey Mouse shoes, perfumes, etc.). The mere fact that they don't allow you to pay directly should be a HUGE red flag.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Okay, wow. That's crazy. The old saying holds true- if it's too good to be true, it probably is!!! As I said, already there were plenty of red flags, hence I didn't even want to use a protected card, but I did have to ask to satisfy my curiosity.

[Randy Red Bemont]

Glad you asked and very glad you're running away fast.

Red

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Yes! I found the 5k Chosera on Amazon for $122 with free shipping. Much safer. Heads- up to anyone out there. The new Professional stones replacing the Choseras do not come with the free nagura stone. Now is the time to get a Chosera on sale and get a nagura with it. (Small beans, but an excuse to pull the trigger if you were looking for one.)

[Jim Becker]

Scam-a-lang-a-ding-dong...

iTunes gift cards are effectively untraceable cash. The same would be true for various forms of pre-paid "money" cards, like Green Dot. Once you give the code...your money is gone and if you don't receive what you thought you were buying, you have less than zero recourse.

[Mike Lassiter]

This is how fish get caught. "I think it's a trick, don't eat that worm!" "But that worm is sooooo juicy, and hey- what could happen?"

Actually, I have fraud protection on my card, and I even keep a card with a $300 limit that I pull out if ever in a bind in a sketchy place in a third-world country (happens a lot in my travels). If they get the number, they only get $300 max. That said, however, I think the responsibility lies on my shoulders to use the card wisely and not put the card company through that expense. In this case there are too many red flags. I wish they took PayPal, but even then I would be very sure that the site didn't take me to a fake PayPal and scam my password.

I read the highlighted remark and just had to respond. RESPECT to you Sir! That is the attitude everyone should have. We cannot expect to be careless and reckless and someone else be help responsible for it. WE are the ones that have been given the credit cards for OUR use, and should exercise reasonable caution with them just as we would if we where spending cash money. Fraud protection isn't meant to replace common sense.