Opus One order scam

I’ve been getting quite a few online orders this month for 2 bottles of Opus One where the billing and delivery addresses are in different states. In all but one case, the credit card was refused due to zip code mismatch. One order did go through and FedEx could not deliver and it is being sent back to me. Upon investigation, I think this might be a fraud order as well (and lucky there was a FedEx delivery issue.) Anyone else seen this? For those of you with online sales, be aware.

We’ve had 6 fraudulent orders the last 2 days for Opus but have not shipped any, apparently the scammers thing Opus is less obvious than Dom or Cristal Champagne… The orders usually have a fair amount of red flags, shipping/billing different, shipping/billing phone numbers don’t trace back to the states on the invoice, they always order upgraded shipping. I usually email them for a laugh to ask if they want a gift card enclosed, the responses are normally pretty comical, I guess they’re not used to a person emailing them back… There’s been times I tell them the card has been declined, you can’t believe how often we’ll get emails with new card numbers with another billing name, state, etc… Fortunately we process all our orders manually so we don’t have to go through the nightmare of refunds & voids. They are getting smarter though, we do a lot of searching for the person that’s it shows as Billed to and often have tracked them down and called to verify the order, needless to say they are mortified and appreciative.

I’m sure there will be many more orders with them hoping they’ll slip by with busy holiday time.

Ten years ago our orders were always for Dom or Cristal. Is Opus saying anything about anything new or different in the scammer world?

There are still orders for Champagne but the scammers must think they’re pulling a fast one on us by ordering Opus. Yeah, we’ll get right on that. ha!

And then there’s this:

Greetings to you ,I am sure I got the right email address, I am interested in placing an order of your Cocktails and I need you to email me with the types and prices of your Cocktails you have in store and also I would like to know whether or not if you do accept credit card payment? Kindly advise accordingly.

Thank you,
Best Regards
Mr Dominique.

This story likely ends with something akin to “an infinite number of monkeys on an infinite number of typewriters…”. Or is that “keyboards”?

I like when they ask if you accept credit cards.

The English language is more difficult than it appears.

Bruce

Every industry has these scams. The only difference is the product involved. The big clue is ALWAYS asking if you take credit cards in the initial inquiry.

I always ask clerks if they take cash. 2 out of 5 have to think about it first before answering.

The correct answer is “only with proper id”. neener

Yep, I see it all the time.

Another form of the scam is to have a courier service, or even a taxi, pick up an order placed by phone.
Insist on seeing the credit card, and double check all the relevant information, address, phone number (helps to have caller ID), and security code. The scammer may have this info, so don’t be shy about calling the phone number associated with the legitimate card holder and ask if they are making the purchase. We have caught lots of fraud that way.

P Hickner

How do you know the legitimate phone number?

If I"m lucky, I can find the billing name/address via searches. Otherwise, here’s my routine:
If Opus One order AND shipping is different than billing. Google street view the shipping address - if it does not look like an Opus drinker, then check the IP address of the the order and if it does not match the billing address, call the phone number entered on the order to confirm. Usually, if it is fake, there is no answer nor voicemail option. If it does answer, ask to speak to the Billing first name, usually get a “wrong number”… etc…

Hi All - We’ve noticed a recent spike in (poorly) attempted fraudulent orders for Opus One. Has anyone else seen an uptick recently?