Unfortunately, not all online stores are reputable. Over time, the UK wig market has become challenging for both legitimate wig websites and consumers, with fraudulent wig companies putting up their best fight to fool wig-wearers.
In this blog, we’ll discuss why it’s become trickier to identify scam wig companies online, how you can tell if a site is fraudulent, and some wig sites to avoid at all costs.
Why Has it Become Difficult to Identify Scam Wig Sites?
Similar prices: Many cheaper, poorer-quality wig companies have started to raise their prices to a point where they fall in the same price range as wig sellers like Simply Wigs. Ultimately, this price shift has created some confusion for customers, as suspiciously low price points used to be a key indicator of inferior products. Now, consumers can’t always judge the quality of a wig on its price alone. Furthermore, with prices being so similar, consumers often confuse higher-priced established wig companies for scammers.
Similar visuals: It has become harder to differentiate sites, especially as fraudulent ones have started mimicking the web design and images used on the best legitimate wig websites. Appearance has further blurred the lines between good and bad wig sites and increased consumers’ wariness to shop online.
What Do Scam Wig Companies Do?
Scam wig companies are deceitful groups or individuals who use the front of being a reputable wig company. Some of them look almost indistinguishable from legitimate companies.
They scam customers in a variety of ways:
Keep reading to the end to see a list of scam wig companies reported to us to make sure you don’t buy from a known fraud!
How to Tell Legit Wig Sites from the Fake
So, how do you know if you’re shopping online at a legitimate wig company?
The problem with fraudulent websites is that they can look so convincing when they pose as top-rated wig companies. However, there are tell-tale signs to look out for. These include:
The first thing you should do is search for the company’s name, with the word ‘reviews’ – for example, ‘ewigs reviews’. Some guidance to check that reviews are real includes:
– Don’t look at reviews on the website itself. If you have any doubts about a company, make sure you check the reviews on an independent site like REVIEWS.io and Trustpilot. The company can put anything they like on their own website! For example, Ewigs has over 4,000 reviews on their website and every single one is four or five stars, but if you look at review sites, the majority are only one or two stars.
– Pay attention to negative reviews. While most sites will have some negative reviews, seeing what people are complaining about can give you a better idea of what you’re dealing with. Look for trends among negative reviews – if lots of reviewers found they never received a product, or received a different product than they expected, it’s not an isolated incident.
– Pictures and videos. We love seeing our beautiful customers wearing their creations and we encourage people to take pictures in their wigs to send to us or attach to reviews. Scam companies aren’t usually likely to take the time to find homemade footage or pictures, and many scam sites use poorly rendered images (so they might be blurry or look stretched).
Can you find any contact information about the page? Often, scam wig companies will just have a contact form, and maybe a phone number or email address. Reputable wig sellers should have a full address available (which companies pretending to be based in the UK won’t have), and often, you’ll be able to contact them via social media as well.
A good rule of thumb when shopping online is ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is’ – if you’ve found a wig that retails at £200 being sold for £20, there’s likely there’s something else at play!
We’re not suggesting that you run every website through a grammar checker before you buy, but if the content on the site is stilted, unclear or poorly written, that should wave a red flag.
When you click on a new website, your browser will tell you if the site is secure or not with a little padlock symbol. If the site is not secure, you should avoid spending any money with the company, as your information will not be safe!
If you’re unsure if a company is legitimate, you can always check with Companies House. All limited companies in the UK must be registered with Companies House and it will provide you with the director’s name(s) and the company’s history. If they’re not registered, that means that they don’t have a physical shop or office in the UK.
If you have bought a wig and you are unsure about its quality, be aware of a chemical smell. This smell appears when the natural hair colour has been stripped out of the wig in order for it to be chemically dyed to a different range of colours. The stripping of the colour also strips away the hair quality, leaving you with a substandard wig.
Back in 2014, Emma appeared on Radio 4’s consumer affairs programme, You & Yours, to discuss the trend of disreputable wig companies trading online to UK customers. Listen as Emma shares a customer story and some caring and helpful advice, explaining how non-UK wig companies are cloning trustworthy wig websites and using .co.uk addresses to fool customers into thinking they are reliable websites.
Listen to the interview now » (STARTING POINT 26mins 32secs)
What to Look for in Reliable Wig Companies
So what are the green flags? What can you look for in a company that is worth your custom?
Scam Wig Companies to Avoid
IMPORTANT: These companies have been reported to us as being scams. Please let us know if you have encountered these companies or any others so we can continue supporting other wig-wearers.
Customers have pointed out these companies to be aware of:
- Ciciwigs.com
- Ewigs.co.uk
- Hairlinewigsuk.com
- Hawigs.ca
- Heywigs.com
- Kimwigs.co.uk
- Lightinthebox.com
- Lytinroopwigs.com
- Minewig.com
- Morojowig.com
- Rewigs.co.uk
- Shopwig.co.uk
- Topwigs.co.uk
- Urhair.co.uk
- Wigsbuy.com
- Wigsdo.com
- Wigsell.co.uk
- Wigshoponline.co.uk
- Wigshow.co.uk
You should also be cautious when buying from non-wig-specific marketplaces, like eBay, Shein or Temu – you might find some great deals, but just remember that you’ll get what you pay for! If you’re looking for a reliable, high-quality wig, you’re not likely to find it on these sites.
Final Advice on Avoiding Scam Wig Companies
1. Check the URL
We have also been made aware that there are several companies using the Simply Wigs name in their advertising. Always make sure you’re shopping on our official site to avoid being caught out! Make sure the URL is correct before entering any information.
Check out the listings below; the first is from our official site, but the second is a different site using our name. We’ve highlighted the URLs in red so you know what to look for!
2. Do your research
When you’re browsing cheap ‘UK-based’ wig sites, be cautious and do your research before you buy any new products. Every week, we talk to heartbroken people who these companies have scammed, and we are angry and saddened that they are still allowed to trade.
3. Spread the word!
As many scam wig companies are not based in the UK, we are unable to prosecute them. However, if Trading Standards cannot protect people who may be shopping at a very vulnerable time in their lives, then it’s time we spread the word ourselves!
We ask that you please repost this through your own social channels. Together, we can get the word out that we will not be duped by these dishonourable companies anymore.
Our team knows that buying a wig can be an emotional and highly personal process. The UK has many highly-rated, quality, legitimate wig companies that will endeavour to make the process as easy and painless as possible.
When it comes down to it, if you have any doubts about the legitimacy of a company, you’ll be safer not spending your money with them. If you have any questions about this topic, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. The Simply Wigs team are always here to help.
DO NOT BUY FROM WIGSBUY AND IBUYWIGS
THESE ARE SCAMMERS. I BOUGHT A WIG FROM EACH ONE AND BOTH DON’T HAVE A RETURN ADDRESS ON THE BOX.. I TRIED TO GET IN TOUCH BUT THEY DONT REPLY… NO LUCK WITH PAYPAL… SO ANGRY .. DON’T BUY FROM THESE NASTY CHINESE COMPANIES…. EVER!!!!
I ordered a wig from MineWig which was advertised on Facebook. After a month I contacted them and was told that the wig was being made and asked me for more time. I waited again a couple weeks and contacted them again asking for a refund – was told they had time and material invested in making the wig and they offered me a refund minus a percentage for their work – I refused stating that I wanted a full refund – All the order info dissapeared and needless to say I got scamed!! Do Not Order anything from MineWig!!!!!!!
Ordered from thenewangel.com received 4 wigs buy 1 get 1 free they are not as pictured horrible plastic hair no lace wigs as advertised.And Pictures are stolen from Bekawigs and many others.
I ordered a wig from [email protected] I feel let down and really stupid for falling victim to this ridiculous scam. I was on chemo at the time so maybe not in the right frame of mind in my defence!! They sent me a smelly, poor quality item that wouldn’t even pass as a wig. After numerous emails, they still won’t offer a return/refund option. I am currently trying to claim the money back via my bank. There are lots of bad Trust pilot reviews for this company, please don’t fall for it!!! You do only get what you pay for, there is no thing as a “cheap” human hair wig.
I ordered from uk-driedsing using the link below. It is fraudulent. They sent a spongy synthetic wig that cannot be dyed. I wrote a 1 star review and they deleted it. The reviews on the page are fake but convincing. Please do not patronize them unless you really don’t want value for your money. The wigs ship from China, are synthetic and take forever to get to you. from paersing.com
I ordered 2 wigs from DAMAISY and was scammed. No phone number, the only email address they will not answer. I’m done ordering online.
DO NOT ORDER FROM MINEWIG…….THEY TOOK 8 WEEKS TO SEND ME WHAT I ORDERED AND THEN THEY SENT ME SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD NOT GIVE TO ANY HUMAN…..THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS…..THEY REFUSED TO GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK AND SAID IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO MAIL IT BACK TO CHINA. IF KNEW IT WAS COMING FROM CHINA I NEVER WOULD HAVE ORDERED IT. THEN THEY WANTED TO GIVE ME JUST SOME OF MY MONEY BACK BUT I AM INSISTING I WANT IT ALL BACK…….STICK WITH THE GOOD USA WIG COMPANIES.
Bought wigs from Maliya wigs, email does not work for returning items. I was sent two of the same wigs that did not look like what was advertised. So I’m stuck with two ugly wigs. The email they said to contact them at is
[email protected] It comes back as permanent error. I am so mad!
I ordered/received 3 wigs from T-WIGS. BUY 2 get one free. ALL 3 WERE NOT WHAT I ORDERED. Cannot contact them.
I just bought a wig from urhair.co.uk and not only did it come NOTHING like advertised, they also have random pictures of celebrities all over their website, yet have lots of raving reviews – ‘everyone thinks this is my own hair’ etc. – the .co.uk website address made me trust it, as did the reviews, however, after reading all the comments on Simply Wigs, which I know is a solid reputable company, I am horrified to see that UR HAIR are a SCAM. Don’t order from there. They emailed me saying that if I pay £20.00 shipping & handling fee that they will send me another wig free of charge with a larger cap size as the one they sent is ridiculously small. Anyways – credit card dispute I think it is. Just awful.
I am so disappointed. I ordered a wig from uk.driedsing as it came up with a beautiful video in an Instagram ad. uk.driedsing is a scam. Apparently their website is two months old and they only exist to fleece you of your money using other people’s images, then close the website down and start a new one. If you only saw the joke of a wig they sent me, it would almost be laughable if I hadn’t paid $40 plus postage (I’m in the UK). I’m so annoyed, I can’t believe Paypal allows this scam shenanigans.
I ordered Wigs from Allysahair on 30 Nov 2020 up until now No wig has arrived. Has anyone ever been able to reverse their money from Paypal and what was the process.
SCAM ALERT: There is a wig supply merchant currently doing the rounds EUSSTORES.COM. PLEASE DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM, product received is totally different from item advertised.
Scammers! Scammers! Scammers!
Like many on this platform I thought as payment is going through Paypal bound to be a legit business, not so sure that is a viable yardstick to measure credibility of merchant please be aware.
DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM Minewig. As in previous comments on this company I wish I never ordered anything from them. They do not send what their website claims to be selling. The wig I got was delivered after 9 weeks and it looked nothing like what I had ordered….now they will not respond to my emails wanting to return this disgusting thing that was sent to me. No return address, no info on where I can mail it back on their website. They are crooks and you must stay away. There are many reputable online wig companies, but this is just a scam, sham, rip-off shell of a company.
I ordered an “older lady’s wig from UR Hair. Stupidly I did not check reviews. When I did within the hour I found it was an absolute scam. Those who do receive anything from them seemed to receive ratlike Halloween wigs all unwearable. I decided immediately to cancel but discovered there was no address. I got on to Pay Pal and said it was within an hour and surely legally I was allowed to cancel. I was told I could not if the item had been already processed. I looked at my account and saw it already said it was being processed. I still felt it was wrong I could not cancel, Paypal would not open a complaint until I had received or not received item. I wrote back to UR Hair telling them I believed they were a scam, that i had copies of all emails I had written trying to cancel. I said if I did not get a refund I would troll every one of their websites or FB mentions and tell the truth that it was a scam & also take Pay Pal to the small claims court. These emails said “No reply” but I believe they did look at them. I received an email in the end saying it had been posted so could not be cancelled but they had posted the wig and hoped I would keep it. My only hope was that be cause I was going to complain I would get one of the few genuine ones. I did! It arrived today beautifully packaged and a very nice long curly wig. I will not be returning it but as a word of warning DO NOT BUY FROM ANY COMPANY WHICH DOES not have an address and telephone no in the UK. Look up all reviews before buying and dont trust Paypal to fight your case.
I have seen several other companies with the same photos on which go by various names but I am positive they are all UR Hair. BEWARE.
Annie, everything you have stated is a replica of my own experience, right down to the courteous and polite stalling tactics. Claiming item is custom made! Etc etc! This was Howigs, yours is URwigs… I am beginning to think they are all the same company. I escalated to a claim through Paypal and although it isn’t finalised yet, it is looking fairly hopeful. I was instructed by Papal to return the wig and they provided an address in China for this purpose. I had to provide my Royal Mail Tracking No. So perhaps I will be lucky enough to get my money back! Good luck if you decide to go down this route. Best wishes.
Sylvia
I placed an order for 2 short weaves from nathanwear on 29 Dec 2020 but to date have not received my order.
I have recently ordered a wig from UR-Hair.
The wig delivered, looked nothing like the one I ordered. It was the kind of wig you might buy from a joke shop.
They reply daily to emails, very courteous and polite; their stalling tactics are unbelievable.
Firstly they claimed the wig was custom made, which it wasn’t.
Then endless chances to buy another wig at a lower price.
Now they are offering a £10 refund.
I’m just about to escalate through PayPal, but not holding my breath.
I also bought a wig from Simply Wigs at the same time and that is superb. Well made, comfortable, exactly as described. Packaging was brilliant. Thank heavens for Simply Wigs. I won’t hesitate to buy from you again.
Ordered two wigs from superwigstore.com. The wigs look absolutely nothing like the pics. The quality of hais is that of a dollar store barbie doll, the length is not correct either. The information given for a return is not accurate including the phone number or email. They need to be shut down.
Do not order from Minewig . After waiting 2weeks and hearing nothing ,I contacted them and they sent me an answer that made no sense. I called my credit card company to dispute.I told Minewig that I wanted to keep my money and they could keep their wig. They lied twice that the wig had already been sent and they would sent the tracking number later, which never came. After two more weeks the wig was sent and it looked nothing like the picture and didn’t have a tag attached to the wig . It probably had been worn by someone else. The wig was sent from Illinois.The credit card company said because they had sent the wig, I had to pay. Minewig said if I wanted to return the wig , I would have to send it to China. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!
I order to beautiful wigs from wigsbuy and what did I get not the wigs I order. Am a cinnamon color and I got two platinum blonde wigs, I ask for lace front but did I get it no, wigsbuy is a scam I tryed to get my money back no such luck I guess they think that we as American have a sign on our forehead saying sucker. There needs to be a law against this kind of rip off from China they are getting rich off of our hard earned money.
Having recently purchased a wig from a company by the name of Howig, you can imagine how shocked I am to read the article published here. I too have been scammed and sent a wig that bore no resemblance to the on line pic that I made my choice from! I have been in weeks of communication with them and found I was getting nowhere as they were unprepared to take back the wig for a refund. I asked PayPal to intervene by escalating to a claim in the Resolution Centre and am currently awaiting their decision. After reading accounts by so many who have not been helped by PayPal it is not looking good but I live in hopes especially as our Bank actually recommends using PayPal as a safe method of payment. These fraudulent wig suppliers should not be allowed to trade and I agree that if more people made their voices heard, maybe at least some of these fraudulent companies could be banned from selling to innocent victims of their scams, for everyone but especially for those of us who need this service for medical reasons.
brightwigs is another scam do not order from them….its bull crap, they sent me wigs that are nothin like they were advertised…..its crazy because I had a feeling that it was a scam….so PayPal should refund me my money huh…
I have just received a urhair wig There was no mention of being based in China but that’s where it came from
It was hideous, nothing like the picture on internet. Colour was flat one shade whereas I ordered mixed shades
It is definitely not real hair
Bitterly disappointed
PAYPAL resolution are not helpful with the these scammers.
Bank Credit Card is much better in dealing with these types of fraud .
Currently, Which, the consumer magazine is questioning PAYPALS tactics.
I cancelled my PAYPAL membership because a lack of trust in the resolution system when dealing with Urhair
Ordered a wig curly short grey from NATHANWEAR in October it took ages to arrive, when it got to me it was the wrong item they sent a horrible synthetic wig completely different from the one I ordered, when I informed them they admitted it was their mistake and offered me 15% refund and keep wig which I refused, they then offered 25%, then 35% final offer but I had to then pay to return the item to them.
I Will not pay to return the item as I will not give them any more of my hard earned money for something which is not my fault. I payed via pay pal contacted their resolution centre and what I got back from them was you will get a full refund but you have to pay to return item. I will not under any circumstances pay any more money to that RIPOFF company.
Nuola wigs…
As someone going through the after-effects of chemotherapy and having recently purchased a wig from this company for over £1000 i can say that you should strongly consider when purchasing from them, their email communication is slow and inconsistent, just look at how many people complain about it on their social media accounts, and not just my word for it. After they take your money… you get what you are given, packed in density which looks unnatural, stained lace, orange tone lace not suitable for just anyone ( not even true swiss as I am an ex wig stylist and know my wigs) and a very late order with no emails in respect to why it was late. They finally said I could return the wig and would I like the original wig I preferred instead? we started to discuss the order but I did not ask them to go ahead with it. after another 7 days of no reply I decided I just couldn’t carry on with the transactions with this company, as I am building myself from chemotherapy I must watch my stress levels, so I simply decided to send the wig back and end the sale. They got back to me days later and said i couldn’t do that, it was their policy to exchange only ( in other words bully you into a sale no matter what, whilst still reselling the wig you return). I can’t believe what this company has put me through, anyone else in my situation, this is my own personal experience. A lot of these youtube reviews are people that have been sent free wigs or had a % off to only provide positive information, the company also makes sure the wigs they make for influencers are more realistic looking than what they send you. I hope no one else has gone through what i have gone through, but i wouldn’t be surprised if my story was not the only one similar.
Both of these companies sent horrible wigs, nothing like advertised. Can’t get one to email me back and the other wants me to accept small percentage back and keep horrible wig I wouldn’t use for Halloween. When asked for mailing address was to,d it would cost me more than twenty dollars to send back to China, so obviously better to keep and take the paltry amount according to them. I used PayPal, why can’t PayPal protect us from scammers using them to extort money from us!
Bought 2 wigs from wigsbuy.com – yes, they sent me 2 wigs that I didn’t pick – wanted human hair got synthetic and FRIZZY, FRIZZY, not even near color I purchased. There were like small dust particles throughout the hair like it was glue trying to extend the length of the long hair I purchased. I tried to call them – no response. I took a lost in that purchase and will never order from them ever again. I threw away the 2 fake wigs.
I ordered a wig from urhair.co.uk but never received it. They are refusing to give me a refund.
Apparently they featured in an article about fraudulent companies on BBC Radio 4 on 21/10/20.
They give a UK address but it doesn’t exist, I checked on google maps, I have heard they are based in China – avoid !
I ordered 3 wigs on SALE i thought to be awesome buy 2 get 1 free, took advantage of it. The long bob cut was shorter than a pixie. The 360 lace curls had more openings than a railroad track. last but not least Brazilian Straight 360 Lace Frontal Wig WAS NOT IT, complete disaster>>> none had lace, as soon as you run your fingers through the hair, strands follow your finger as if you had magnets on them.
I ordered 2 wigs from Light In The Box and they were not fit for Halloween. Hideous These Chinese wigs never come with a return address and takes weeks or months to receive. Horrible. I ordered another Wig from Wigsis. Horrible too. Looked like a old woman cheap wig. The part looked so wiggy. Stevie Wonder could look at it and know it was a wig. Trying tonight to send them back to the country that killed my friends with Covid.
Nuola Wigs — false information and very tough to get a reply.
I’ve ordered 3 wigs yesterday at billiehair.store not knowing whether it’s a scam or not but when I go through people’s comment on their page, they are complaining saying that they’ve been given wig dolls some they didn’t even receive their wigs yet & now I’m worried but I contacted the PayPal to reverse my money because i dont trust that store & worse I’ve been trying to message billiehair.store but they dont respond to my questions instead they are telling me to buy their wigs… I’m so disappointed really & heart broken
I have waited for a wig from wigsbuy foralmost 2months.zsaid if I bought adress from them I couldn’t get my money back.I didn’t know they sold dresses .They are called wigsbuy. They never even show dresses.
I have recently discovered another fraudulent wig site called https://www.urhair.co.uk/
There are countless reviews online stating that the wigs that are advertised, are NOT what you receive in any way. Buyer beware with this company. They claim to sell human hair wigs when in fact they are very cheap synthetics that don’t even remotely look like the photos posted on their site.
Does anyone know anything about Summerllc Fashion Hair? I have been burned in the past by others and hesitant to order but due to chemo treatments I am in need of wigs.
Tell your story to Rip off Britain if enough of us write to them it could make a difference.
These people are breaking our Law.
I find it odd that Paypal appears to support the law breakers, the reason I use Paypal is for protection from these rogue retailers who Rip off Britain.
I ordered a wig from Luna wigs BIG mistake after waiting like 4 months was not only the wrong color and dont know how many emails i finally get a wig that was far from what i ordered i tryed to contact them no response??
Ordered on the 29 August 2020 from stunninggirl company is unavailable.
I am a UK verified vendor. Some fraudulent company in China is using a similar name amberhair.shop to scam people selling 3 wigs for 50usd. Now they come to my page to vent their frustration .
Please amberhair.shop is scam and we have also reported to Instagram too.
Ordered three wigs buy two get one free from Holawigs. Got three wigs weeks later that were nothing like what i ordered. I mean i orderd pixi short hair got three very long cheap wigs not even the right color. They offered to refund me 10% back or i could pay another $30 to ship it back. Unbelievable but a great scam for them.
I agree with all the previous comments as my exprience has been similar, albeit I thought Paypal would would protect me.
However, they did not, surprised, so was I.
I ordered a wig at stunninggirl about a month ago. Got the order number but now the company page is unavailable
First, they are not USA companies that I filtered for. Order a Name Brand Wig “Kai” from Rene’ of Paris which is angled bob, in an ashy blonde color that was a rooted rose gold.What I received was a cheap no name wig, with loose hair in a long pageboy. Like others, it looked like a Halloween wig from a dime store. I requested a refund, which their site says are easy refunds. The told me to put it on and see if it looks better or keep it for a spare. Then they offered $20 off my next wig. When I went to my Email, anything they wrote was deleted.
This is absolute fraud.
I ordered from Minewig. It took six weeks to receive and it was nothing like the photo. Even the color was wrong, not even close to what I ordered. Basically looked like a dead animal. I have been trying for months to get a refund and it was one excuse after another. I finally had enough and contacted my bank. I’m getting refund from my credit card but now Minewig will not send a mailing label to return and expect me to pay shipping back to China when I paid only 6.99 shipping when I ordered and it came from California. I’m so angry! It’s obvious now this is not a legit or reputable company. Please do not order from Minewig!
I ordered from CiCi Wigs and bought three of the most horrendous looking wigs I’ve ever seen. They were no more than costume Halloween wigs that were very obviously fake looking, weren’t even close to what the picture looks like, and the colors were all wrong. No refund and when I went to check out my receipt on my email, I tried to open up to look at the stores inventory, it says the stores shop is unavailable. Don’t get scammed like me, look for reputable wig stores by reading reviews.
Twice I have been scammed by so called uk company’s based in China somewhere the wigs are terrible badly made wrong colour won’t give a refund I ordered a real hair wig 5 months ago with top hair.co.uk they only have an e mail address I sent loads to get answers and get my money back but no wig or refund
I ordered from hairsleisure.com and they have their contact page listed with a UK based address. I NEVER even received my order and it turns out they are just another China scam company.
I reached out for help on my order and never received any response. Don’t trust them!
I ordered a wig from Minewig. It was hideous. When i tried to return it, I was told their sales company was out of the counntry and it would be very costly to return. They said the return address on the package was not the real one. They refuse to return my money. So please don’t order from this company.