It's a classic hustle as old as time itself. The scammer stakes out a parking
lot, often at an electronics retailer, and then waits for their victim. In this
case, an LTT viewer from Florida. Next
comes the story. The details vary, but the structure is usually pretty similar.
Hey, we kind of overspe for this super rich client guy, and we bought too many
speakers, and now our boss is saying uh to just get rid of them cuz it'd be too
expensive to keep them around. But I was thinking uh I could give them to you for a pretty good price.
They're legit. >> The victim is suspicious, but I mean,
they look all right. And who doesn't want a great deal? There's just one
small problem. They sound like ass. But
our victim did all of his basic due diligence. So, how did this happen? To
find out, we offered to help a brother out by buying the speakers off of him at
the price that we paid so we can blow the freaking lid off of this thing.
Because as it turns out, this classic scam has learned a lot of new tricks
that could bamboozle even a fairly savvy shopper. We're going to show you exactly
how it works, show you how to avoid it, and we're going to dive into the
surprisingly organized network of shady retailers and manufacturers who enable
these fraudsters. That is, assuming that I haven't been scammed myself by Dr.
A-Rod here. I don't know for sure that there are even speakers in here. I mean,
it could be packed with anything. could be packed with something nobody wants,
like this segue to our sponsor. >> Modern science bestowed upon humanity
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from 5 six feet away. Not going to lie, this is pretty darn convincing looking.
I mean, even the branding. If you told me that Elleian Audio was a thing, I'd
be like, "Okay." With that said, it's not that hard to make up a fancy
sounding brand. For example, Kalis
Cibir, Est, those sound like luxury brands, but as it turns out, they're
just French Canadian curse words. The real trick that these guys pull though
is repurposing real names from reputable
brands that are in a similar product category. Elian is a particularly tricky
one because it is the name of a well- reggarded line of speakers from real
manufacturer Warfdale. It just isn't
these. What this allows our scam speakers to do is sit alongside
reputable speakers in Google searches without our scammers having to create a
super convincing knockoff of an exact product. We'll talk more about the
online strategy later, though. For now, let's take a closer look at what we
bought and see if we can catch any hints on the packaging itself. Well, here's
one that stands out to me. You can't have Adam a single speaker system that
can do 9.1, 7.2, 2 and 5.1 sound.
>> Yeah, it's crazy. 7.2 is kind of a crazy one. You can down mix, but also it's six
pieces. So, that's one, two, three. That's five. That's 5.1.
>> But the but that has 10 pieces on the box.
>> I think these are like these are single speakers and they turn. But I still
don't think that that makes it 7.1. >> But that also definitely doesn't make it
5.1. >> Yeah. I I don't really know. Oh, I'm thinking that maybe how they market
sound bars these days or letting them get away with it cuz you buy a sound bar
and it says like 11.1.1 or whatever. >> Personally, I prefer audio return
channel to giant wooden boat full of animals. And you know what else seems
legit is it's industrial grade certified for outdoor use.
>> Yeah, you can even wireless connect. >> And there's more stuff like that. Active
voice amp singles out dialogue. That sounds legit. High-res audio signal.
Wait, via internet. Okay, sorry. That
was a what? Whether the details are on purpose or not, I feel like the giant
blocks of text are a huge part of the strategy because who's going to read all
of that? >> Yeah. >> Right. And even, and this is such a
shallow thing, even something as simple as having foil on the packaging makes it
look more premium. >> It is interesting what details they do
get correct. Like, I was not going to expect that they'd have their own custom
straps. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> That makes it seem more legit.
>> And tape. The tape even says Alleian on it. >> It's reassuring.
>> These make it think it makes it look heavy. >> Oh yeah. Is it heavy? Uh I mean it's got
a bit of weight to it. >> I I guess >> for six or nine or 11 drivers though.
>> And like look at how they've scaled the subwoofer in this picture on the front.
To me, it doesn't look like there would be enough space for five other speakers
and the subwoofer in here. >> Right. That subwoofer is not very big,
is it? >> No, I don't think any of this is very big at all. They even have disclaimers
on the box. Like, why would a scammer who's trying to convince you that it's
the best thing ever have to have a disclaimer about, you know, the images and model number being subject to
change? Oh, this is a really important part of the scam, though. MSRP $3,000.
While printed pricing on the box is common for some products, for speakers,
it's highly unusual. Even more so for high-end audio where the speakers are
typically sold through approved dealer networks with a if you have to ask you
can't afford it approach to pricing. >> Sorry, did you see this
wall mountable stethoscope symbol?
>> Okay, we could probably do this all day. So then what do these guys say when you
go, "Well, I've never heard of a lease in audio." Or you point out some of the
weirdness on the box. >> Well, they have an answer for all of that. They might say something like,
"Oh, yeah. They're a boutique brand from overseas, huge in Italy. And you know,
these are sold by high-end audio installers, so the packaging isn't
really meant for retail, so they don't they don't pay too much attention to it."
>> And when you ask, well, how can you be selling it so cheap? If it's so boutique
and so high-end, you'll usually get some kind of variant of,
>> well, you got to understand, they mark these things up like crazy because all the rich people are buying them. We buy
them wholesale. These aren't even close to $3,000. Is that more like maybe a
grand? >> So, you're not even losing that much selling it to me then? >> No, I'm practically talking myself into
it. And that really is the most devious
kind of lie. The kind that is built on a kernel of truth. High-end audio does
have obscene markups. And it does rely on a network of approved dealers and
installers who do deal in brands that the typical consumer has never heard of.
And the scammers will go to sometimes great lengths to match the image of a
legitimate installer. They'll rent a nicel looking van. And they'll wear polo
shirts with matching company logos. And they'll even obtain real business
licenses and phone numbers, >> which they'll be happy to show you since
they aren't going to exist in a week. >> So, okay, you're still a little
suspicious. So, you decide to scan the QR code on the box and check out the
manufacturer because some guy in a parking lot could lie to you, but the
manufacturer couldn't. They've never done that. And that is where this
classic ruse glows up for the 21st century. That looks pretty legit,
honestly. Here's the one that they're offering me, the Smart Series Model 2.
The satellite speakers have a 12-in subwoofer.
>> Yeah, that's wrong. They also are QLED.
>> Yeah, >> for those of you who don't know, is uh display technology, not anything to do
with your sound. >> But here's some reviews. The best
product I've bought since buying my first CD player as a teen. I mean, that
sounds reasonably credible. >> The problem I have with this product is my husband not wanting to leave the
house. That's a very good hook. >> Quotes that sound too good are a classic
tell for fake reviews. That's why on LTT Store, we leave people's unedited
reviews up on the site. Like for the RGB t-shirt that I'm wearing that's rated
4.62 out of five. I don't like the RGB shirts because of the rough itchy feel
against my skin. See, not everyone loves them. Oh, this is smart. Where to
buy/store locator? Shut up. It's just a link to Best Buy.
And the Allesian Model 2s that we covered today are just one example of
this. These same units can be found under other names like MRX, Valencia
VX300 home theater, or Synchrony B600.
All of which were stolen from legitimate home theater companies. MRX is a line
from Anthem. Synchrony is a line by PSB
and Valencia is the brand of seating that I use in my theater room at home.
And making this whole web of lies more confusing is the entire network of fake
review websites that you will often find linked from these manufacturers. And
while Alleian doesn't specifically link to those, when you Google search Alleian
audio home theater review, the featured snippet is from one of those scam review
sites. >> We review electronics.com 10 out of 10.
And to make things worse, the Gemini summary underneath gives information
that is correct if you are looking for Warfdale allegian speakers, but just
serves to add to the legitimacy of the snippet. >> Unfortunately, thanks to the power of
AI, >> I'm a CEO in a porcelain spa. Yes,
that's me. >> Building sites and writing convincing enough reviews has become both cheap and
super easy. In just the couple of weeks that we've been working on this video,
we've seen several of these networks of sites pop up and disappear or switch
over to new product categories. And you're not going to have the kind of time that we have to go through all of
this before you get a chance to ask too many questions. They're going to start
putting FOMO pressure on you. Hey, look, uh, security, they're going to kick us
out here, you know, and I got to get back to work. My next client, he's a dog
podiatrist, and if he can't clip the nails without the background music, and
you don't want the dogs to suffer, do you? >> No. So, uh, do you want them or not? So,
you go to the nearest ATM, which they conveniently have perfect directions
for, and you buy them. I mean, hey, even if they're not actually topof the line,
they're brand new. They can't be that bad, right? Right. They even got like a
piece Oh, I thought that was printing on the styrofoam. >> Even the documentation, it comes in a
little bag. Are you not supposed to figure out it's a scam until you
actually plug them in? Like even the packaging itself is pretty convincing,
Adam. >> Yeah. I mean, the longer they have before you realize that you screwed them
over, the further away they can get, right? >> Oh, boy.
>> They're so small. >> Also, didn't they say wireless satellite
speakers? >> Yes. >> Oh, no. That was wireless satellite speaker subwoofer, right?
>> Can I open this or do you want to leave it mint for resale? >> Shut up.
>> I'm impressed they have removable grills, though. >> I'm surprised they didn't keep them on.
Look at all the glue. >> Wow. That's how they seal in the
goodness. This is the single cheapest feeling HDMI
cable that I have ever encountered. Does that even seem like it has enough girth
for all the conductors? >> HDMI 0.5.
Okay. Well, let's get the center channel. What happened in here? Look, it's all
scratched up. Oh, wow. You can just see straight into it. Look, you can you can
see wires in the back. Also, this is the worst wall mounting mechanism I think
I've ever seen. You have to fix the location of the speaker from the back,
then screw it into the wall. No more adjustment for you. I wonder if everyone
is in on it. Like, do you think the manufacturer of these knows that they're
a scam? >> They must be. There's no reason to make
this junk unless you're trying to rip people off, right? Well, I mean, if they
sold it at the actual price of it, then it's not really a ripoff. I mean,
>> wo, the subwoofer is actually a pretty decent size.
>> Is that actually all of the speakers? All of the speakers fit into like the
top third. >> That answers the mystery of whether it's 5.1 or 7.2 or 9.1.
>> At this point, I'm thinking it's stereo. Like, like,
>> it really does raise the question, though. If they know it's a scam, why
bother making them work at all? Like, do you think they're just not going to
work? Like, they clearly have drivers in them. They clearly have wiring in them.
>> I mean, I guess maybe it's like you can keep scamming down the chain. Also, some
people just don't know better. Some people might have their crap TV and
that's all the audio that they knew and then they decided to splurge or get a Christmas gift and this works, right? It
starts playing and maybe it is just louder. Are we 100% sure it's not a
computer?
>> Dude, you got a Dell. There's peels on the stickers, but the stickers
themselves are just paper stickers. What a weird attention to detail.
>> Yeah, right. >> I guess the sticker approach to branding
makes it pretty easy for them to have all those different names for it. Oh,
wow.
Buddy, this is going to suck. >> That's um That's not 12 in.
>> I told my wife that's 12 in. >> Yeah, she didn't believe you either.
>> I mean, this is 12 in. It's Yeah, I was going to say this is like something, but
what a scam to put the speaker cover, make it way bigger than the driver.
Let's plug it in. Wait, where's the amp?
It isn't a home theater in a box.
There's no amp. We got a AV receiver. >> Well, how can it be Bluetooth? Anything?
>> Is there any cables? There's no cables, dude. It's way more than even
we thought. >> I should have opened this. How can you have 2600 watts when you
don't have an amp at all? >> There's no 5.8G wireless.
>> I knew I was getting scammed and I still
feel ripped off. >> Well, I guess we need an AV receiver and
a bunch of speaker wire. >> BRB.
>> What are the odds that you think that this one won't even turn on? That it's
only going to power the top. >> I think it'll power both of them.
>> Want a bit? No,
>> we might be the first people who have bought these and actually bothered to set them all the way up. You know,
>> is this big fat speaker wire even going to fit in the back of these?
>> No. We got too high of a gauge. Got a feeling when you don't buy cheap enough
stuff. >> Okay. Theoretically, we have arc. So,
okay, that's progress. Sub didn't make any noise. We'll get to
that later. >> Andrew, what are you doing? You know, you're struggling with the whole how to
clamp it in place thing. So, >> this is how we're mounting the speaker.
>> Adam, you were right. The top is a
speaker and the bottom is not.
>> That's pathetic. I popped out the speaker,
quote unquote speaker. It's just a metal plate and you can see the back of the
driver in there. Again, why bother? Just glue in the speaker grill.
>> Yeah, just put a cosmetic grill on it and don't even bother with the paper
cone. I've encountered this kind of thing before where it's like, remember
those fake GPUs? >> Yeah. >> Where they put a bunch of work into
designing a cooler and a shroud and doing injection molding and why bother?
Why not just ship a piece of paper? >> I mean, if somebody knows, please let us
know in the comments. Or maybe we're just helping them do their scam better.
They have mounting points for if you want to do a metal plate.
>> They do, too. >> These ones are just stickers, though.
>> They are. Credit where credit's due. They cheaped out there and that was pretty smart. Why would you angle the
whole speaker? We can just do this >> because they're surrounds. They go on the side of Okay, here we go. Uh oh. Is
this Is this right side up? No, it's upside down. >> Okay. I mean, who can tell anyway,
right? >> They're so small. >> I know. They look like little lab tech
desktop computer speakers from the '9s.
>> You right there.
See, now I unboxed these an hour ago, so I knew better than to have high
expectations. But somehow all the work that I had put into getting it working
made me feel like, yeah, it should be. >> We like earned a payoff.
>> Yeah, >> this part sounds okay. >> Does it?
Oh my god. Okay, hold on. Hold on. Hold
on. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Okay, here's the TV speakers for context.
>> They're better. They're deeper. >> Yeah,
>> by like a country mile. >> Admittedly, this is a pretty nice TV.
Okay, it's a high sense canvas. >> High-end TV. >> Pretty decent TV, but still,
>> there are like $99 sound bars on the market
>> from legitimate brands that sound better >> that include an amplifier and actually
have Bluetooth. >> Yeah, it's insulting. It's bad. I really
want to hear this subwoofer. We got to get this operational.
>> The subwoofer is a preo. It expects an amplified subwoofer, obviously. Yeah.
>> Where the hell are we going to find an amp for that right now?
>> Uh, we have an SVS. >> Well, no. No. I want to use this sub >> amp that we can sh No. Amp that we can
shove in the middle. >> Oh my god. Oh, this is so stupid.
>> Reese, you might have to go look for it. Might be. You're going to be on a
hunt. >> You know what? I think it'd be faster to just plug one of these in. Let's find
out if the subwoofer actually even works before we put a bunch more work into
trying to amplify it.
Okay, it works.
It does sound bad. >> Yeah, but it's so much better than I
expected. It's just a volume game, right? Like this is like what, a 5 in
driver? Maybe >> four. Maybe five. This >> is a big four.
>> That's what I tell my wife I have.
We got all the speakers working and now I brought a couple of friends here to
enjoy them. But first, we're going to set ourselves a baseline. We're going to
listen to the the High Sense Canvas TV. >> Is this known for having a good TV
speaker? >> No. >> Fantastic. >> I just But you know, but like you're thinking you're buying the home theater.
You got to hear what you're upgrading from, right? >> You're right. You know what? For TV
speakers, that's not bad. >> It's not bad. >> No bass.
>> Yeah, but it's a TV speaker. Yeah, it's a little bit bright, but not bad. Yeah,
it would be fine for dialogue. Like for people that are just watching TV shows and need to hear what people say, it's
fine. >> Okay, >> totally fine. >> Now, we're going to pull up the uh
Alleian Model 2s. Okay. >> Funny thing is that so we couldn't get
the subwoofer running cuz it's supposed to be a pass it's a passive subwoofer,
>> which doesn't really exist nowadays. Everything all your So, we had to um
what we did is that we got uh we pulled out of another subwoofer,
the amp. That was the only way we could get it powered cuz we couldn't find an
AV receiver that had a passive.
>> Okay. >> That is so unbalanced.
>> Believe it or not, these speakers these speakers here aren't very big.
>> You don't see. >> And so there's kind of a big dip in the mids.
>> Yeah. It's weird that they look so much like the Bose Acoustamac speakers. I
bought a pair a used pair in like 2008. That makes sense cuz a lot of what
they're trying to do is associate themselves with as many ideas of like
goodness as possible. >> How much did he pay for this? >> He paid $500.
>> Even that price is ridiculously busted. So >> now hang on. Did we pay him that much to
get them? >> We paid the guy back. >> So we got scammed is what you're saying.
>> So please go buy merchandise. >> We took the scam and we said pass it. We
said double it and pass it to the next guy. >> We're going to sell it for 1,000 bucks.
For 500 bucks, you can get like a pretty okay home theater in a box from Best
Buy. Yeah. Yeah. You can get like a a decent sound barent sound.
>> It's not the best value in the whole world, but it's infinitely better than
this. Don't buy speakers from a guy in a parking lot >> on Alibaba. When you search 5.1 home
theater, a system much like the one that we purchased will show up in the first
two rows of results. $128 a set. And
here's the really crazy thing. If you order enough of them, the deal only gets
better. For the shockingly low price of $56,500,
you can get 500 home theater setups complete with a custom fake logo and box
design. And that might be a lot for a single scammer, but if you're a shady
supplier, you order in bulk and then sell them off a pallet at a time to your
scummy friends for maybe a couple hundred bucks a pop to cover your storage and shipping costs. And then
everyone else, well, they just have to sell them for more than $200, which when
you're talking about a luxury 5.1 home
theater system, that's probably not that hard to do. And by probably, I mean
definitely, I mean it obviously works because when you dig into it, you find
these scams everywhere, both in person
and on online marketplaces like Facebook and eBay. And it's not just speakers.
It's across a variety of product categories, notably projectors and sound
bars. >> Bottom line is if you've been scammed, I know it can be really embarrassing. He
knows it can be embarrassing, but please
report it. 70% of victims never report
the scams that they're victims of. And if you don't report it, well, that just
lets them win. >> Honestly, even when you do report the scams, only 4% of victims are estimated
to recover their losses. But by talking about it, we can at least help prevent
future losses. So send this video to your family members. Have open, honest
conversations about security. It's important. It's so important that I
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If you guys enjoyed this video, why don't you check out the one where we
looked at audio file snake oil with Dan and our friend Dankpods. I got ripped
off that time, too. That was really funny because I got to choose all the
pieces,