Fake website selling Honda lawn mowers for 90% off
A fake website selling lawn mowers and snow blowers at a 90 per cent discount are “in no way associated with” Honda Canada, the company is warning consumers.
A viewer contacted CTV News Toronto after he found a website that looked like a Honda website selling lawn mowers, generators and snow blowers at massive discounts of more than 90 per cent off.
A Honda lawn mower that was on the fake website, which retails for over $1,000, was on sale for $88. A snow blower on the fake website that was listed for $126 is actually a top of the line model that retails for over $9,000.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
When CTV News Toronto reached out to Honda Canada, a spokesperson said: “This website is not part of the Honda Canada family of websites and is in no way associated with Honda Canada, our dealers or any of our partners. Consumers who wish to learn about Honda products should visit an authorized Honda dealer or visit our website at Honda.ca.”
“Honda Canada takes all violations of our trademark and intellectual property rights very seriously. These unauthorized websites and product offerings erode customer confidence and put consumers at risk. For this reason, Honda will vigorously pursue all persons who violate our intellectual property rights and intends to pursue all available legal or regulatory avenues to do so.”
Francis Syms, a cybersecurity expert and associate dean at Humber College, said that criminals create fake websites for two main reasons. First to get you to send money for a product you'll never receive and to get enough of your banking and personal information to steal your identity.
“We really call this 'brand spoofing' where they create a website that is almost identical to a legitimate website,” said Syms, who added “once they get your credit card, your CVC and your address they have all the information necessary to do fraudulent charges on your credit card."
Mobility scooters are also a target for fake ads and you'll see them on social media with the scooters selling at huge discounts.
OPIIA is an agency that helps businesses with online advertising and founder Janita Pannu told CTV News in an earlier story on fake ads that consumers need to watch out for red flags such as extremely low prices and no customer service number to call. Pannu also said to avoid clicking on ad links and instead go directly to the company’s website.
“You also have to ask yourself, 'Is it possible for this product to be discounted at 80 or 90 per cent? Or is that perhaps something that is unrealistic,” said Pannu.
Even though companies try to take down fake websites, when one gets taken down another one often pops up somewhere else.
Social media platforms have been called a gold mine for scammers and companies like Meta and X are under pressure to do more to screen for misleading ads and counterfeit products.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Foreign Affairs Minister insists there are no ‘traitors’ in Liberal caucus
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly insists there are no "traitors" in the Liberal caucus, after a report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) alleged there are MPs and senators who are “semi-witting or witting participants” in foreign interference efforts.
Your father’s diet before you were born could have affected your health, a new study suggests
Your father's diet before you were born could have played a role in your health, a new study has found.
Global study ranks two Canadians cities high on list of most expensive places to buy a home
As Canadians continue to struggle with the extremely high cost of buying a home in some of the country’s major urban centres, a new global report is underscoring just how expensive some of those markets are.
Shooting in Detroit suburb injures 9, leaving an 8-year-old in critical condition
Nine people were injured, including two young children and their mother, after a shooter opened fire at a splash pad in a Detroit suburb where families gathered to escape the summer heat Saturday. Law enforcement tracked a suspect to a home, where the man died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
Rare surgery in Montreal allows 9-year-old girl to live normal life
A rare surgery at the Montreal Children's Hospital is allowing a nine-year-old girl to keep her adrenal glands and live a normal life.
Trudeau says Russia needs to be accountable for 'genocide' of taking Ukrainian kids
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Russia needs to be accountable for "an element of genocide" he says it's committing by taking thousands of Ukrainian children from their home and by trying to erase their Ukrainian identity.
'They're not human beings, they're animals': Trump blasts immigrants for taking jobs
Donald Trump blamed immigrants for stealing jobs and government resources as he courted separate groups of Black voters and hardcore conservatives in battleground Michigan on Saturday.
BREAKING A 'brazen daylight shooting': 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in Scarborough during fight, say police
Toronto police are appealing for witnesses and information as they deploy a “significant amount of resources” into the investigation of the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy in Scarborough on Saturday afternoon.
Video shows northern Ont. storm hammer shoreline, breaking dock
The owner of a northern Ont. camp is continuing to clean up after an intense storm that prompted a tornado warning Thursday ripped through the area breaking his dock and downing trees.