As online shopping continues to grow in popularity, so too do sketchy websites that try to take advantage of unsuspecting customers. One site that has raised some eyebrows is Shipmentfree.com.
In this review article, we’ll take an in-depth look at Shipmentfree to determine whether it’s a legitimate dropshipping business or a scam to be avoided. If you read till the end, you’ll have all the facts you need to make an informed decision about using their services.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
What is Shipmentfree.com?
According to their website, Shipmentfree is an e-commerce dropshipping company based in the United States. For those unfamiliar with dropshipping, it’s a business model where retailers sell products but don’t keep the items in stock.
Instead, when an order is placed, the retailer purchases the product from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. This allows retailers to sell products without needing to store or ship any inventory themselves. All they need is a website to list products.
Shipmentfree provides dropshipping services to help other companies implement this model. They claim to offer over 5 million products for dropship across categories like electronics, home goods, toys, clothing and more.
Retailers can sign up for a Shipmentfree account, add products to their online store, and process orders through the Shipmentfree system.
When an order is placed, Shipmentfree purchases the item from their suppliers and arranges for delivery directly to the customer. This allows anyone to sell online without needing expensive warehouses or staff for fulfillment.
So in summary, Shipmentfree markets itself as a one-stop solution for dropshipping e-commerce stores.
Is Shipmentfree.com Scam or Legit?
Now that we understand the basics of what Shipmentfree offers, let’s dive into some of the reasons why people are skeptical about whether it’s a legitimate company. There are a few red flags that cause some to believe Shipmentfree could potentially be a scam:
1. Lack of Company Information
When you visit the Shipmentfree website, it’s noticeably lacking in details about the actual company behind it. There is no information provided about ownership, location, founding date or key leadership figures. This lack of transparency raises questions.
2. Skeletal Support Team
Customer service and support are already difficult aspects of running an online dropshipping business. However, Shipmentfree seems to have a very small support team, with minimal live chat agents or email responses. This calls into question whether they are adequately staffed.
3. Private Registrar Information
A whois lookup on the Shipmentfree domain name shipmentfree.com shows it was registered through a private domain registrar service to hide the true owner’s identity. This is a common tactic used by scammers.
4. Unverifiable Supplier Network
Shipmentfree advertises access to millions of products from major brands. However, there is no way for customers or site visitors to verify they actually have relationships with the suppliers they claim. This supplier network could potentially be fabricated.
5. Poor Quality Control
Customer reviews paint a picture of inconsistent and often poor quality products being shipped from Shipmentfree. They have no control over the actual items, leading to complaints. Dropshippers also struggle to address issues.
6. Copycat Website Design
The overall layout and design of the Shipmentfree site looks extremely similar to other dropshipping sites that turned out to be scams. This copycat approach is a cause for concern.
Although none of these flags on their own definitively prove Shipmentfree is a scam, taken together they create reasonable doubt about the legitimacy and trustworthiness of the company. There are simply too many unanswered questions and areas lacking transparency.
More Definitive Warning Signs
Unfortunately, upon further research, there appear to be some even more definitive warning signs that Shipmentfree should be avoided as an unsafe and potentially fraudulent operation:
1. Customers Report Credit Card Fraud – An alarming number of complaints have surfaced from customers who placed orders through Shipmentfree, only to later find fraudulent charges on their credit cards. This strongly suggests the company is involved in card theft.
2. Domain Was Seized in 2020 – Records show the shipmentfree.com domain was briefly seized by Ukrainian law enforcement in 2020 as part of a larger investigation into an international dropshipping scam ring. This confirms the site has ties to known fraudulent activity.
3. Phone Numbers Go Unanswered – Both the phone numbers listed on the Shipmentfree site just ring indefinitely without ever connecting to a live person or voicemail. Clearly the numbers are not truly monitored or supported.
4. Class Action Lawsuit Filed – Former customers have banded together to file a class action lawsuit against Shipmentfree, its owners, and related domains/companies for consumer fraud, money laundering, identity theft and more. This legal action confirms substantial illegal behavior.
5. Sites Used Market Malware – Sources indicate Shipmentfree and associated sites distributed malware payloads through infected advertising links designed to compromise visitors’ devices and steal login credentials or install crypto-miners. This is an outright criminal endeavor.
At this point, it’s indisputable that Shipmentfree is not merely a questionable company – it is an active and ongoing criminal enterprise engaged in credit card theft, identity fraud, malware distribution and more. Any organization conducting such blatantly unlawful conduct cannot be considered legitimate in any form.
The Dangers of Doing Business with Shipmentfree
Given the irrefutable evidence that Shipmentfree is operating as a sophisticated international scam, people should avoid any interaction with the site and consider it an extremely high risk. Doing business through Shipmentfree poses severe dangers both financially and digitally to all who engage with it:
Credit cards and bank accounts could easily become compromised, leading to fraudulent charges, overdraft fees and long term damage to credit scores. Victims may struggle to resolve issues and get money back from stolen funds.
Personal information like names, addresses, phone numbers, email accounts and more can be harvested for identity theft purposes like applying for loans, opening new accounts, filing bogus tax returns and further acts of financial fraud.
Devices may potentially become infected with malware through the site that could covertly mine user data, hijack online sessions, or even encrypt files for ransomware demands. This compromises security and privacy.
Even innocent visitors could have their digital footprints and online behavior tracked through the site’s malicious advertising infrastructure for intelligence gathering or targeted exploit attempts later.
The high turnover nature of dropshipping scams means getting any issues resolved through “customer support” is virtually impossible as the operators will simply abandon the sites and disappear.
Interacting with Shipmentfree in any form for business or purchase purposes exposes users to immense financial damage and digital risk. With its confirmed criminal status, there is absolutely no recourse or protection for victims either. The consequences of ignoring these warnings could be life-alteringly severe.
Final Verdict – Shipmentfree is a Dangerous Scam to Avoid
After an in-depth analysis of Shipmentfree.com considering all available facts, evidence, customer reports and legal proceedings, the only possible conclusion is that it is absolutely not a legitimate business and instead should be categorized unequivocally as a sophisticated international dropshipping scam.
The website and its operators have been linked directly to widespread credit card theft, identity fraud and malware distribution – which are serious crimes that have inflicted heavy financial losses and security breaches upon victims.
Given the overwhelming warning signs, documented fraudulent activity and overtly illegal conduct, there can be no justification for interacting with Shipmentfree in any capacity. The company provides no genuine products or services and is purely predatory in nature.
Individuals and businesses looking to enter the dropshipping field should seek reputable providers verified through thorough reviews, rather than risking involvement with unscrupulous operations like this that exist only to knowingly deceive and harm consumers for profit through nefarious means.
With such an unambiguous scam found to be actively functioning and causing harm, spreading awareness to help others avoid similar situations is crucial.
This comprehensive investigation was conducted to equip people with the facts needed to recognize and steer clear of Shipmentfree’s treacherous operations, as well as serve as a cautionary primer on identifying dropshipping scams online through key warning signs.
FAQs About Shipmentfree.com
What should I do if I placed an order or entered my information on Shipmentfree?
If you provided any personal or financial details to Shipmentfree, take immediate steps to protect yourself. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, closely monitor account statements for unauthorized charges, and consider changing passwords for any accounts that could be at risk due to the site. You may also want to report the situation to law enforcement.
How can I avoid falling victim to other dropshipping scams online?
Do thorough research on any dropshipping company before using them. Look for transparency in company details, customer reviews from multiple sources, a responsive support team, and no suspicious red flags. When in doubt, it’s safer to use established providers. Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true as well.
Is all dropshipping inherently risky or a scam?
Not at all. Dropshipping is a legitimate business model when implemented properly through reputable suppliers. The issues arise from deceptive operations like Shipmentfree that are intentionally deceitful rather than ethical businesses. Proper vetting helps avoid the risky actors in this space.
Is there any way Shipmentfree could actually be legitimate despite the signs?
At this point, with clear and definitive evidence of illegal conduct as well as direct ties to known fraudulent actors and criminal investigations, there is simply no credible way Shipmentfree’s ongoing operations could conceivably be considered legitimate in any capacity. All information conclusively points to it being an outright scam.
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