How to spot a Meat Scam
Unfortunately in today’s technological era, there is always someone looking to take away your hard earned money without actually working for it themselves and for some reason, paddock to plate meat businesses seem to be a target for them.
At Millstream Meadows, we are the real deal and want to help you to spot those scams so you can be sure you actually get what you pay for.
Contact Methods
Most of these meat scammers will only allow contact via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp as those cannot be tracked and they can delete them at any time.
If there is an email address included, it will usually be a gmail address and often won’t match the business name either.
You’ll notice that on our social media channels and our website, we have our business branded email and phone listed as well as being contactable via Facebook or Instagram. You can literally pick up the phone to call us and you’ll speak to me (Toni), a real life person who knows the area you live in and can answer all your questions (at least I hope so).
No registered business
A simple ABN Lookup is a great way to establish is your meat provider is legit. You should see an Australian Business Number linked to the business name.
Be careful though as there are some copycat scammers who steal the name from a legitimate business so don’t rely solely on this.
Pricing
We all love a great deal but if the prices listed seem too good to be true, they probably are!
It is hard work raising animals for meat not to mention the cost of infrastructure, water supply, feed etc and then there are butchery, transport and compliance costs on top of that (even if the meat supplier does the butchery themselves). No business is going to last long selling below cost and if they are cheap, there’s usually a reason.
Photos and content
Many of the scam meat pages will utilise the same photos among them – they may be stock images or as they close one scam that’s been compromised, they will open another. They will also use very similar wording for all their posts.
You’ll also usually notice that the page hasn’t been around very long and doesn’t have a lot of content.
You can do a google reverse image search which will show you if that photo belongs to another business too.
Whilst we sometimes use stock images because the logistics don’t allow us to stop for lengthy product photo shoots, you most definitely will see plenty of images and content on our website and social media that is 100% ours and authentically us – sense of humour included!
Payment Options
Meat scams often only accept PayID or bank transfer because credit card payments can be charged back when you find out it’s a scam. The business details often won’t match the account details and your bank can’t verify if they are legitimate.
They also won’t provide an invoice or receipt to you upon request.
At Millstream Meadows we accept all major credit cards and you’ll automatically receive a receipt upon request. If you want an invoice before purchase, we can do that too!
Physical Address
You might think that not providing a physical address is a good sign of a meat scam and although a meat scammer most definitely won’t provide you with an address, neither will legitimate businesses that operate from home.
Think about it – would you like random people turning up to your house unannounced?
Also, add to that concerns around biosecurity, personal security, and liability and you’ll start to see why we don’t publicly advertise our address.
No people behind the business
We are firm believers that people do business with people. When you view social media pages and websites created by scammers, there will be no personal touches to anything they do. The language will be generic, there will be no images of the business owners or staff, and you’ll feel like there’s no substance to what is on the website.
With us, you will find a picture of us and our story on our website and when you check out our Facebook or Instagram pages you’ll see a lot of us in our posts – whether it be a heartbreaking post about the loss of one of our animals, exciting news shared, or a story about something crazy that’s happened on the farm.
Reviews
Whilst some reviews can be faked, most people can spot a genuine review. They will often mention what they ordered, the language will sound like an Aussie, sometimes they will mention the person they dealt with, and they will tell you why they left the review that they did.
Google reviews in particular cannot be removed without good reason so they are a bit more reliable than some of the other review options.
We are exceptionally proud of the google reviews we’ve received which you can check out for yourself here.
Questions to ask
Questions that you can ask a business you believe may be a meat scam are:
· What abattoir are the animals processed at?
· Where is the butchery done?
· How and where were the animals raised?
· Do you have any current customers I can contact?
· How long is the beef hung before packing?
· Can you explain why your pricing is so low?
· What is the approximate hanging weight of the animal?
If they struggle to answer these questions or give you vague answers then that could be a good indication that you are dealing with a scammer.
The final takeaway
Whilst any single one of the above mentioned things may not be a clear indication that you are dealing with a meat scammer, each one can be considered a red flag and if you get enough red flags, you’ll think twice before transferring those funds!
If you are sure you’ve found a scam page, be sure to report it too as that will help other people avoid getting stung by these lowlifes.
Of course, if you are based in Cairns, Port Douglas or the Atherton Tablelands then Millstream Meadows is a safe bet and we will do right by you.
And we’re always just a phone call or email away if you want to ask us any of those questions!