BBB warns about outdoor equipment co. scam

Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific is warning consumers about Gearow.com, an online store that claims to be operating out of Buffalo, New York. Gearow appears to specialize in outdoor equipment and accessories.

Consumers across the United States, including Oregon, report placing orders with the site, and never receiving the items or any form of correspondence. There are complaints from 40 out of the 50 states.

One consumer from Hillsboro lost money to Gearow after placing an order on the online store. After receiving an initial email confirming his purchase, he never received the item. After 3 weeks, he tried to follow up. In January 2019, he filed a complaint with BBB.

“Needless to say, all of their contact information is fake or does not work,” he said.

BBB NW+P also identified three other Oregon victims who recently lost money to Gearow after never receiving their orders.

After many customers filed complaints, BBB of Upstate New York investigated in December 2018. The BBB investigation discovered that all of the phone numbers associated with the company were disconnected and that the address listed on the website is that of a storage facility in Buffalo.

However, as of now, the website is still active.

Consumer complaints also included receiving fake tracking numbers and having to wait months for any type of package. Those who did eventually receive their order, determined the packages were actually coming from overseas, based on the postage.

Because of the complaint activity, the company has an F rating with BBB. There are also 47 customer reviews for the company (all one-star reviews), and ten reports to BBB Scam Tracker.

Because of the personal information consumers need to enter when shopping online, interacting with a phony and/or fraudulent website such as this one could lead to identity theft in worst-case scenarios. BBB NW+P encourages consumers to follow these tips: BBB.org/shoppingonline.