Don’t Fall for Hoka Scam Offering Sneakers at Impossible Prices

Sammi Burke
·2 min read

If you've seen targeted ads for Hoka sneakers served to you on social media that seem too good to be true, they probably are.

Scammers have started cloning imagery from legitimate retailers in an attempt to pass themselves off as genuine and certified sellers of the beloved—and typically expensive—shoe brand, luring in unsuspecting browsers with unbelievable sale prices and, ultimately, farming their personal and financial information.

For example, in the image below, an account purporting to be Dick's Sporting Goods advertised a contract termination with the brand on Facebook, alleging that the well-known store was clearing out its inventory at just under $20 a piece.

If you reach the checkout process from an ad like this, you likely won't ever see the delivery of any product at all. If you do receive anything, it'll be a mere, cheaply-made knockoff. But your credit card number, billing address, and potentially more personal information will have fallen into the hands of fraudsters, leaving you vulnerable to identity theft.

There have also been a number of similar scam attempts on TikTok ads as of late, but while Hoka sneakers are all the rage right now, these kinds of scams can feature any products. Here are a few other things to look out for to identify fraudulent ads:

  • Typos and grammatical errors, especially in the brand's name

  • Inexplicably low prices

  • A web address that mimics, but does not match, a well-known brand, or does not match the website that was listed in the advertisement

  • A site that appears to have been built quickly and without care

  • A lack of customer reviews

  • A lack of corporate address or other contact information on the website

  • A push to pay with methods other than a credit card, and a lack of credit card brand verifications on the checkout page

  • An invalid security certificate (for example, if there is no "s" where it normally says "https" in the web address)

Many brands, like Hoka, list all authorized retailers on their site, so you can confirm ahead of time if the one you're browsing is legit. At the end of day, it's important to trust your gut. If it feels too good to be true, it probably is.

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