Did you receive an Instagram DM from Gnarcy.com jewelry offering you free jewelries for brand promotion? Recently, more than hundred Instagram users have received messages from different IG accounts informing them of Gnarcy.com partnership and they want to know if it’s genuine. Well, the short answer is NO! Read on to find out more details and how to stay protected.
Overview of Gnarcy.com Jewelry Store
Launched in February 2024, gnarcy.com is an online store that deals in jewelries like rings, pendants, necklaces, etc. However, the store is presently trending for its ‘3 free jewelries for brand promotion’. The store sends the following DM to Instagram users;
Is Gnarcy Jewelry a Scam?
Gnarcy.com Jewelry is not a scam perse, however its brand promotion program is not a genuine offer. The jewelries are misleading sold as quality product but are actually not worth the price paid for shipping.
In reality, buyers do not benefit anything from the ’free jewelry’ ambassador offer. This is because the brand ambassador program is just a sales tactics. You get to pay shipping, and the jewelries received are not worth the price paid for shipping, plus no commission.
Gnarcy.com is actually a drop shipping website, the owner buys cheap jewelries from China, rebrands it and then use deceptive marketing to sell them off at inflated prices.
Red Flags;
No Business Address
The store does not provide its business address or warehouse address. As a customer, the only way to know where your order is coming from is after placing the order. While this doesn’t make the online store bad, it’s actually something to be looked into.
Too Good To Be True Discount & Sales Offer
The discount margin is too large and unrealistic even on a sale. What this store simply does is use the cheap price as a bait to lure buyers. When people see the low price, they become tempted to take a risk.
Recently Registered Website
The domain ‘gnarcy.com’ was recently registered on September 2023 but the brand itself started operating in February 2024. This means the store has no reputation and could easily shut down any time.
Complaints
One of the complaints by customers is poor quality of items received. According to customers, the jewelries are not worth the price paid for shipping In fact, you can get it for a far lesser price elsewhere. See what an influencer has to say –
These people’s entire business model is soliciting “ambassadors” to write fake/favorable reviews using spam on Instagram. They have many fake accounts that tag random people to “give” stuff in exchange for reviews. Very unethical company. Their entire business depends on Instagram, they have no presence anywhere else. If you want to waste your money with such a dubious company, be my guest.
Consequences of Shopping from Gnarcy.com
Aside from receiving inferior products, buyers could be victims of the following frauds;
- unauthorized charges on credit cards
- Automatic VIP membership subscription – Some dubious online stores often add customers into a subscription plan without their notice. Victims get charged a monthly subscription fee for unwanted items such as online health magazines etc.
- Malware infestation to steal customer’s data
Tips for Spotting Scam Influencer Programs
- Requests for you to purchase their product first for reimbursement later.
- Requires you to purchase at a discount.
- You have to cover the shipping fees and expenses.
- Asking you to create content for their use on their Instagram/website, using their product but they don’t pay you or give you the product. In return, they will help promote your social media accounts (i.e. will credit you)
- Brands requesting a collaboration by commenting in your comments on Instagram, or your blog. They’re using a shotgun approach hoping you’ll bite.
- Using language that isn’t professional (i.e., sweetie, darling, honey… you get the picture).
- Spelling and grammar errors! This is one of the biggest indicators this is not a professional request.
- A brand collaboration scam will always have caveats in the email or message that makes extra work for you, without really compensating you for it.
- Offering you a special affiliate commission with a “discount” for your followers (there are affiliate programs galore that you can sign-up to).
- It’s from a sketchy company that when you Google it, seems to be doing some questionable work or has poor reviews.
How to know If an Online Store is Fake
Aside from the obvious too good to be true discount sale, here are other ways to identify a scam website;
Check Website Registration Age
How old is the website? The domain age of a website tells a lot about a store’s legitimacy or transparency. Websites below 6 months old are often considered unsafe. You can find out a website’s age by checking on Who.is ( a free domain checker tool)
Find Out If The Website Has SSL Encryption
find out if the website is secured with SSL encryption. (https and padlock symbols). If the padlock symbol doesn’t appear near the website’s URL, then it means your personal and financial information is at risk at the store.
Verify The Business Address
Does The website provide return address? If Yes (Copy the address and paste on your browser. Google map would show if it is a real warehouse address or a residential address) If the address has also been used by other websites you’d see reviews in search results.
Search For Reviews Online
Are there customer reviews online? (It is advised that you sit it out if there are no customer reviews of the store. However if you’re not patient enough to wait you can send a mail to us to verify if the store is legit)
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