Samsung Galaxy fold scam: YouTuber MKBHD exposes bold fraud

The Escobar Fold 2 is a smartphone that looks like the Samsung Galaxy Fold. The only difference between the Escobar phone and the Galaxy model is the flashy golden lacquer and the noble logo. The truth is that the Escobar Fold 2 is a Samsung Galaxy Fold - with gold foil stuck onto the case. So why not buy one immediately when you can have a Galaxy Fold, which costs nearly $2,000, for just under $400? Of course, there is a massive catch.

The people behind Escobar phones are scammers. Tech YouTube star Marques Brownlee recently exposed the scam in an online video titled "The Truth Behind Escobar Fold 2". In it, he shares the story of how he had already ordered the first version of the folding smartphone last year, but it never arrived. The famous YouTuber also ordered the second version out of curiosity - this time under a different name - without success. It was soon clear that the Escobar smartphone was a brazen scam, and MKBHD, as he is known online, discovered how his fame was being exploited by the brand. Brownlee later received a package from the alleged manufacturer out of the blue at the end of January with an apology and an "upgrade" of his first order, as the first Escobar folding phone was no longer available.

In addition to Brownlee, many other YouTubers, including Lewis George Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy, received the golden folding mobile phone. What's particularly bitter, is that the YouTube channel Unbox Therapy has 16.3 million subscribers, around three million people watched the Escobar video of the famous YouTuber and were fooled. Because the actually very experienced tech reviewer did not recognize the fraud and excitedly banged the advertising drum for the mobile phone scammers with statements like "this thing will go down in history".

Only Marques Brownlee asked questions. In his video, he shows what lies beneath the surface of the golden foil: a Samsung logo. And soon it was clear to him: only tech-influencers were getting the fake mobile phone to enthusiastically advise other people to buy one. For the regular paid orders, nothing is ever delivered. The claim is that the company is taking orders and only shipping a small percentage of them to customers they believe will help promote the product. The $400 Galaxy Fold is thus financed by three or four customers who will never receive a thing.

Meanwhile, you can't put the Escobar Fold 2 into the shopping cart on the website of the scamming company anymore. How many people have fallen for the Escobar scam and lost $399 is still unclear.

Source: YouTube