33bitcoins.com is a scam

[TonyBitboin]

What happened:
I placed an order on Dec 13, 2017 with a promised 2 week delivery.  I was told I would receive the tracking number by Dec 19.  On Dec 21, no tracking information and no email from this site.  After I sent many emails, on Dec 28 they finally replied, "I need time I will ship your item on 10th JAN. understand I have been caught in a problem".  It is now Feb 2, and I have not received any messages, nor have I received the items.  They are not responding to my emails for status update or refund requests.

Scammers Profile Link:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=945378

Amount Scammed: 0.274464 BTC / $4,864.87
Payment Method: Bitcoin
Proof of Payment:
https://blockchain.info/tx/713462d2590539372f2ab3f89439dc594dfc94093f0d09865a60c298a6f738ab
Target wallet = 1Ma8wQaDwWab5vUCZydamRorDJfYemGKkA

PM/Chat Logs:
This is all the email I received from 33bitcoin (I have not received any email later than Dec 28):

From: shae soul
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2017 5:23 AM
To: Tony
Subject: RE: Tony

I need time I will ship your item on 10th JAN

understand I have been caught in a problem

From: Tony
Sent: 28 December 2017 15:39
To: shae soul
Subject: RE: Tony

So, you are not talking to me anymore?  You stole my money?

From: shae soul
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 8:57 AM
To: Tony
Subject: RE: Tony

Hello units will be shipped on Thursday

From: Tony
Sent: 19 December 2017 07:51
To: shae soul
Subject: RE: Tony

Is there a tracking number yet?

From: shae soul
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 3:37 PM
To: Tony Dove
Subject: RE: Tony

Yes tracking will be sent by 18 December

From: Tony Dove
Sent: 13 December 2017 01:18
To: shae soul
Subject: RE: Tony

Coins have been sent.  Will you send tracking info when available?

Thank you

On Dec 12, 2017 2:11 PM, shae soul <bitcoin.com@yahoo.com> wrote:
Delivery to :
Tony <xxxxxx>, United States (US)

Order :
#455

Ships 16-18 December, will reach you before December 24.

well the amount you have to pay is : 0.274464 Bitcoin
1Ma8wQaDwWab5vUCZydamRorDJfYemGKkA
 
Additional Notes:
If they honor the order and deliver my items, or refund my bitcoin I will post that here.  If you do not see a follow up message from me, then they stole my money.

[warningsigns]

If you googled the site before placing the order, you might still have those coins today. I see you posted on this thread:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2003969.0

which suggests you only found that thread AFTER the scam.

This should have rang alarm bells:

CHARGES :
Bitcoin: NONE
Card : 4.5%
Paypal : 4%

PROCESSING TIME :
Bitcoin: Instant
Paypal: When Clears (Maximum 21 Days)
Card : (7-8 Days)

The terms are designed to compel one to pay by bitcoin and make the two other payment methods as unattractive as possible. The scammer included those payment methods to add a facade of legitimacy to the scam. A business accepting credit cards and PayPal or a variety of payment methods is often seen as trustworthy.

Those coins are lost and irrecoverable but thanks to you for taking the time to forewarn others.
 

[timerland]

There is a lot of these sites that are selling mining hardware for bitcoin and altcoins. Most of them are scam, and 33bitcoin.com seems to be no exception here. I don't see a reason for them to refund your coins since it has been a month and clearly they have no interests in carrying out and honoring the actual transaction.

Hopefully you can learn from this experience, only buy from legitimate, reputable sellers instead of a random site you just found.

Make sure you also check the site against any previous accusations, since that could always be a good telltale sign of a scam that is still operating. You can search the bitcointalk forum with its name, if it's a scam usually there will be questions asked on service discussion/scam accusations.