Is Fahlo a Scam?

If you’re thinking of buying animal-tracking bracelets from Fahlo, you need to know whether it’s safe. Is Fahlo a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Fahlo is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety when buying from this website. 

What Is Fahlo?

Fahlo (formerly Wildlife Collections) sells beaded bracelets and plush toys that link to an app showing the location data of a wild animal.  

Each purchase supports a conservation partner and unlocks tracking information for a specific species.

The privately-held company started as Wildlife Collections in 2018 and changed its name to Fahlo to reflect its mission of letting buyers “follow” animals in the wild.  

Is Fahlo a Scam?

No, Fahlo is not a scam. It’s a legitimate e‑commerce business that partners with established conservation groups and donates a portion of its proceeds.  

According to Scam Adviser, the official Fahlo site (myfahlo.com) is safe to use. 

Highlights include the website’s positive reviews, its valid SSL certificate, the domain name having been registered for more than 1 year in advance, and the website’s old age. 

As of this writing, user reviews of Fahlo are mixed:

• 4.7 out of 5.0 stars (from 32 reviews) on Google. 
• 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (from 5,264 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (from 24,035 reviews) on Google Play.
• 5.0 out of 5.0 stars (from 14 reviews) on the App Store.
• 3.2 out of 5.0 stars (from 12 reviews) on PissedConsumer.
• 4.33 out of 5.0 stars (from 198 reviews) on Better Business Bureau.

For example, on Trustpilot, reviewers praise the company’s conservation mission, product quality, and helpful customer service. On Google Play and the Apple App Store, users praise the interactive maps and engaging content, but complain about excessive marketing communications. 

On internet forums like Reddit, user experiences are likewise varied.

Some people call Fahlo a scam, saying that the bracelets are made of cheap, plastic beads and that they suspect the app shows pre-programmed tracks. 

However, others claim to have verified their animals with named conservation groups, aquariums, zoos, or articles (e.g., National Geographic mentions). 

Several people also note that tracking delays are intentional to deter poachers, and since multiple people can follow the same animal, identical paths are to be expected.

Some animals may stop transmitting if their tags fall off, break, or run out of battery.

Fahlo lists its official partners on its site. 

Fahlo is a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited business and holds an “A+” rating (see our review on whether the BBB is a scam). 

The company received a total of 121 complaints on the BBB website over the last three years, with 19 of these complaints closed within the past 12 months. Complaints center around tracking problems, misleading guarantees of “lifetime” tracking (Fahlo guarantees tracking for six months), and shipping and delivery issues. 

In one case, a customer complained about buying a world-tracking bracelet only to discover later that the wolf had died two years earlier (in 2023), which made them feel misled because they had thought the tracking would be real-time and up-to-date.

Fahlo responded that, because the red wolf is critically endangered with fewer than 20 individuals remaining, the company provides historical rather than live-tracking data for this species. 

The company typically responds with refunds or replacement tags and clarifies its six‑month tracking guarantee. 

Fahlo scams 

Fahlo is not a scam, but like many brands, it is sometimes impersonated by scammers.

For example, in 2020, Fahlo published a Facebook post warning users about a company that attempted to copy their brand and mission to scam customers. 

In the comments, many users reported being scammed by the copycat company. 

Fahlo security

In its terms of service, Fahlo says that its store is hosted on Shopify. 

Shopify provides a complimentary 256‑bit SSL certificate for each site, encrypting all traffic between customers and the store. 

Shopify is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant. This requires yearly assessments, quarterly vulnerability scans, and verification by a Qualified Security Assessor. 

Shopify also uses fraud‑detection tools to verify billing addresses and flag suspicious orders.

As per Fahlo’s terms of service, your data (except credit card information) may be transmitted unencrypted. Credit card information is always encrypted.

In late 2025, there are no publicly reported breaches affecting Fahlo directly. 

Fahlo privacy

Fahlo explains in its privacy policy the kind of data it collects, why, and with whom it shares it.

It collects the following personal information: 

• Device information: Browser type, IP address, time zone, cookies, pages viewed, referring sites, and browsing behavior.
• Order information: Name, billing/shipping address, payment details, email address, and phone number.

The company uses this information to fulfill and manage orders (process payments, shipping, confirmations), communicate with customers, screen for fraud or risk, provide marketing or advertising (taking user preferences into account), and improve and optimize website performance and analytics.

Fahlo shares your personal data with third parties that help operate the site, namely Shopify (e-commerce platform) and Google Analytics (site analytics).

It may also share your data to comply with legal obligations or to protect the company’s rights.

The company uses the data it collects to deliver targeted ads, but users can opt out (via Facebook Ads Settings, Google Ads Settings, Bing Ads Settings, and Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out portal).

Fahlo’s website does not honor “Do Not Track” signals. 

The company stores order information indefinitely unless a data deletion request is made. 

Customers can make deletion requests by email to privacy@myfahlo.com (subject: “Data Deletion Request”) or through the website. Verified data will be deleted within 30 days, unless retention is legally required.

Fahlo’s privacy policy has been reviewed by the Common Sense Privacy Program, a third-party evaluator, which, at the time of writing, has assigned it a “Warning” rating. This means the privacy policy “Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.”

Among the issues flagged by the Common Sense Privacy Program are the sharing of personal information for third-party marketing and the display of personalized advertising. 

The Common Sense Privacy Program also says it’s unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties, whether data is collected by third parties for their own purposes, whether the product uses a user’s information to track and target ads on other third-party websites or services, and whether the product creates and uses data profiles for personalized ads.  

So, Should You Buy Fahlo Bracelets?

Depends.

Fahlo may be a good choice if you enjoy educational bracelets or plush toys and want to support wildlife conservation. 

If you expect a flawless tracking service or are sensitive to shipping delays and occasional technical glitches, the product may not meet your expectations.  

How to Use Fahlo Safely and Privately 

• Only shop through the official Fahlo store or its partners. Scammers sometimes impersonate Fahlo, so be sure to only purchase from myfahlo.com or authorized retailers. 
• Compare prices and donation percentages. Check how much of each purchase goes to conservation when comparing Fahlo with other wildlife‑themed bracelets or charities.
• Use a privacy-friendly payment method. And avoid saving your payment details on the site.
• Limit the type of personal information you share. Only share what is required for shipping.
• Opt out of Fahlo marketing emails. Unsubscribe from promotional email lists after buying from Fahlo (you’ll find the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email).
• Reduce targeted ads. Visit Facebook Ad Preferences, Google Ad Settings, and the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page to reduce behavioral tracking.
• Request data deletion if you don’t want your data stored long-term. Fahlo stores your order history indefinitely unless you request its deletion by emailing privacy@myfahlo.com with the subject line “Data Deletion Request.”
• Understand tracking limitations before buying. Animal tracking is intentionally delayed for safety, and tracking may stop if a tag fails or the animal moves out of range. Fahlo only guarantees six months of updates.