Scam: craftineaudio.com aka Craftine Audio

May 1, 2025 at 8:28 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 1

demi88

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The site offers plenty of high end used inventory wanted by lot of audiophiles, but... it's too good to be true.

I was mesmerized by following offering of TAD CR1 MK2:
Screenshot 2025-05-01 at 8.08.57 AM.png
The price looks kinda good, but not outstanding low.

I've contacted them with request of additional pictures, soon enough they shared 20+ pictures via email, all the pics had their watermark, I wasn't able to find those pics using google search.
The next step - I've requested a video of the speakers with a crumpled piece of paper instead of watermark.
One day later they sent me following picture:
Picture with crumpled paperOne of the photos from 1st email
image0.jpegimage0 2.jpeg

Looks good? Isn't it? Except the picture was 100% match with one of the initial shared photos, except it was lil bit trimmed, blued and piece of paper added.

The address on the craftineaudio.com claims the location is
Unit 1A Red Cow Retail Centre
D22 H2P4 Robinhood Road Dublin 22, Ireland
I've found the real shop selling Audio gear at the same building, assume they would know their competitors, unfortunately the answer of the real shop owner was following:

Hi Leo,
I've just had a look and it appears to be a scam website using our address, so definitely not legit.
I'm going to see if I can get it reported and taken down, but needless to say definitely don't buy anything off it.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Kind regards,
Ben

The site craftineaudio.com do offer payment via PayPal, the catch is PayPal limit of $3000 isn't useful for the high end gear they offer.

Here is what ChatGPT thinks about the Craftine Audio:

Analysis of craftineaudio.com Reliability​


Website Background​


Domain and Age:

The domain craftineaudio.com was registered recently—on February 25, 2025. This makes the website approximately two months old at the time of this report. The domain registration details are concealed (private registration), complicating identification of the individual or company behind the site. ScamAdviser specifically highlights the domain’s extreme youth, noting that recently registered domains often carry higher fraud risks.



Claimed History:

Interestingly, craftineaudio.com claims on its own website that the company was “founded in 2022”, with offices in Ireland and Germany. However, this contradicts publicly available registration data showing the domain was created only in 2025. This discrepancy likely exists to artificially enhance the perceived legitimacy and age of the business.



Contact Details:

The website lists addresses:



  • Unit 1A Red Cow Retail Centre, Robinhood Road, Dublin 22, Ireland
  • Bremer Ring 11, Laderampe 21/Tor B1, 14641 Wustermark, Germany




Additionally, an Irish WhatsApp number (+353 83 404 7607) and email (sales@craftineaudio.com) are provided. The German address, however, corresponds to a storage facility (Box at Work GmbH) rather than a genuine retail or showroom. There is no evidence of a legally registered entity named “Craftine Audio,” such as company registration numbers or VAT identifiers, raising additional suspicion.





User Reviews and Online Discussions​

Direct buyer reviews of craftineaudio.com are virtually non-existent, both in English and Russian sources—expected, given the site’s young age. No reviews appear on Trustpilot or similar reputable review platforms, nor on ScamAdviser itself.

Nevertheless, craftineaudio.com appears in classified ads across multiple international forums and marketplaces:

  • Audio Forums (Hong Kong):

    On Review33, a user named craftineaudio posted listings offering extremely expensive Hi-Fi gear (e.g., Wilson Audio Alexx V, Sennheiser Orpheus). This user promoted craftineaudio.com directly, but the account lacked prior forum activity, a common trait among fraudulent operators.
  • Carousell (Hong Kong):

    Listings by a similarly named account were posted, selling high-end audio items such as dCS Vivaldi One, Wilson Benesch Eminence, and Naim NAP 500. These appeared roughly a month before the end of March 2025, pointing to coordinated marketing efforts.
  • European classifieds (Slovenia):

    On Bolha.com, the account named “Craftine Audio” registered recently (March 2025) and posted multiple listings of expensive audio gear (Thorens Reference turntable, McIntosh MT-10). All items were listed as located in Ireland.
  • UsedVictoria.com (Canada):

    Similar listings appeared from an account claiming to be Craftine Audio, located in Saanich, BC, Canada. This pattern of simultaneous global listings raises significant suspicion.

Conclusion on User Discussions:

The absence of organic customer reviews and reliance solely on promotional classifieds indicate that all online references might originate from the site’s own marketing efforts rather than authentic buyer interactions. This aligns strongly with typical fraudulent practices, where scammers aggressively market nonexistent or misrepresented products.

Indicators of Fraud​

The following suspicious indicators about craftineaudio.com are significant:
  • Extremely New Domain with No Reputation:

    Legitimate audio vendors typically operate openly for years, acquiring reputational standing through reviews and community interactions. Here, none of these conditions are met.
  • Suspiciously Extensive, High-Value Product Range:

    Craftine Audio claims to stock rare and elite audio items—brands such as Wilson Audio, Sennheiser Orpheus, Naim, and Accuphase. Such exclusivity is generally only available from highly established dealers, making its presence on a newly-created, unknown site suspicious.
  • Aggressive International Classified Advertising:

    Craftine Audio actively posts listings globally in multiple countries simultaneously—atypical for reputable businesses that usually rely on direct sales through known channels or authorized dealerships. This aggressive promotion is typical for fraudulent operations.
  • Absence of Verifiable Legal Information:

    Craftine Audio does not provide official company registration details, VAT numbers, licenses, or authorized dealer certifications, unlike established, trustworthy sellers.
  • Questionable Payment Methods and Restrictions:

    The site accepts bank transfers, cryptocurrencies, credit cards, and PayPal. Crucially, PayPal payments are only accepted for orders under €3,000, pushing customers toward less-secure methods (bank transfers and crypto) for expensive products—another hallmark of scams.
  • Dubious Physical Addresses:

    Provided addresses do not reliably correspond to legitimate store or office spaces, notably the German location which is a known storage facility, not a commercial showroom.
  • Technical Issues and Downtime:

    ScamAdviser noted intermittent website downtime (503 errors), indicative of unstable hosting often seen with fraudulent sites.
  • Absence from Official Dealer Lists:

    Craftine Audio does not appear in official dealer databases of any reputable audio brand, nor in public business registries in Ireland or Germany.

Blacklist and Scam Database Check​

Craftineaudio.com is not yet listed in known scam databases, likely due to its very recent creation and absence of confirmed fraud reports. However, its profile closely matches known fraudulent website patterns identified by anti-fraud communities.
  • ScamAdviser rated the site moderately suspicious (61/100), explicitly advising caution due to its youth and lack of established credibility.
  • No recorded complaints yet exist on major scam-reporting sites or forums—likely because the site is too new or victims have not yet surfaced.

Conclusion: Is craftineaudio.com Trustworthy?​

Considering all the evidence, craftineaudio.com exhibits clear indicators of potential fraud. The website is newly created, aggressively marketed internationally, and lacks verifiable credentials. It promotes highly expensive, exclusive audio products suspiciously below market price, with limited safe payment methods and questionable business addresses. These factors collectively point to a high likelihood of scam activity.

Final Verdict:

Craftineaudio.com shows strong signs of potential fraud. Customers are strongly advised against making purchases or transferring funds via this site. Given the evident risks and the common fraudulent patterns it follows, it is probable that payments sent to craftineaudio.com may result in loss without receipt of goods. Caution is strongly recommended.
 
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