Are Sea Turtle Tracking Bracelets Legitimate?

Many of us feel helpless when we see sea turtles tangled in plastic or swimming through polluted water. You want to do something, but most “conservation” products online are scams designed to take your money and give nothing back to the animals.

Quick Answer: Fahlo is the ONLY legitimate sea turtle tracking bracelet company. They’re the official partner of Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC), and they actually donate to conservation. Most other sites — Mahola, Ocean Project.co, Club Ocean, and dozens more — are frauds.

I’ve been promoting Fahlo on this site for over three years now, and I bought one myself. My turtle is named PopTart — she’s a loggerhead released from Florida’s Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.

I still check on her location regularly, watching her swim around the Bahamas and up the Gulf Stream. It never gets old.

If you’re wondering whether these bracelets are worth it — or how to avoid getting scammed — keep reading. I’ll break down exactly how to spot fake sites and why Fahlo is the real deal.

What Are Turtle Tracking Bracelets?

Sea turtle tracking bracelets are jewelry pieces that come with a real turtle to follow. When you buy one, you get assigned an actual sea turtle — with a name, photo, backstory, and a QR code that lets you track their journey on an interactive map.

The idea is simple: you wear the bracelet, and a portion of your purchase goes to sea turtle conservation. In Fahlo’s case, 10% of every sale goes directly to Sea Turtle Conservancy.

But here’s what makes these bracelets special — it’s not just a donation. You get connected to one specific turtle. You learn their name, see where they were released, and follow their path across the ocean in real time. It turns “save the sea turtles” from a slogan into something personal.

It also makes a great gift. Instead of giving someone generic jewelry, you’re giving them a connection to a real animal and a way to support conservation at the same time.

Scam Websites That Sell Sea Turtle Tracking Bracelets

There are a lot of scams out there, particularly online, and it may be hard to distinguish the originals from the fake ones.

The Rise of Exploitative Scams

• Online Deception: Distinguishing between legitimate and fraudulent online entities can be challenging.
• Exploiting Kindness: Recently, fraudsters have targeted individuals eager to support environmental causes.

Manipulative Tactics

• Emotional Exploitation: Scammers use images of marine life in distress to manipulate emotions.
• Monetary Gain: These deceptive websites capitalize on people’s generosity for financial benefit.

The Reality of Purchases

• Overpriced Goods: Clients end up buying highly-priced items with profits going to the scammers, not to aid sea turtles.

Deceptive Marketing Strategies

• False Advertising: These organizations use aliases to sell products like turtle bracelets and pendants.
• Illegal Activities: They offer unlawful access to Sea Turtle Conservancy’s (STC) turtle monitoring maps.

Notable Scam Pages

• STC has identified scam pages such as Mahola, Club Ocean, MyTurtleProject, Ocean Lives, Ocean Project.co, Tidalia, Earth Lives, Wildlife Charm, Wildlife Team, Turtle’s Journey, Ocean Better, Blue Ocean, and Wildlife Mission.

Case Study: Ocean Project.co

• False Association Claims: Claims of partnership with STC and donations to sea turtle welfare, without proof.
• Exorbitant Pricing: Charges high prices for poor-quality products, also available on other sites.
• Misleading Offers: Offers tracking services for sea turtles, which STC provides for free.
• STC’s Warning: STC has warned against this website and others for illegally using their tracking codes, which are not even provided to buyers as claimed.

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Detecting Scam Sea Turtle Tracking Websites

So the easiest way to find out if the website selling bracelets or other pieces of jewelry with Sea Turtle Conservancy’s (STC) name is to surf through STC’s list of partners or associates listed on STC’s website.

In addition, the Sea Turtle Conservancy or STC has previously published the names of the fraudulent sites on its website.

Sea Turtle Conservancy has publicly named the following scam sites: Mahola, Club Ocean, MyTurtleProject, Ocean Lives, Ocean Project.co, Tidalia, Earth Lives, Wildlife Charm, Wildlife Team, Turtle’s Journey, Ocean Better, Blue Ocean, Wildlife Mission, and Bela Wonder. If you see any of these, stay away.

To ensure that the product you’re purchasing is both authentic and beneficial to the sea turtles, you’ll need to do a little analysis before deciding to purchase.

 The following points could indicate that they’re not legit:

1. Vague idea about their work:

• People donate money if they believe they are making a difference in the lives of the endangered species, and fraudsters utilize this strategy to their advantage.

As a result, lures such as monitoring endangered sea turtles, recycling ocean trash, and so on are common.

•  When you buy anything from them, they make empty promises about how your money will assist in cleaning up plastic from the water and monitor the well-being of turtles without any proof.
• Most of the time, they claim to give to reputable organizations and indicate that they conduct the conservation work themselves. But gives a vague or general idea of how they do so.

2. Using cheap replicated pieces of jewelry:

• Sells inexpensive jewelry and clothing manufactured in the Far East at a cheaper rate.
• Amazon and AliExpress both sell the same bracelet or jewelry with a turtle charm.

3. “Better deal” offers:

• It’s common for fraudsters to provide the appearance of a better deal by claiming to be giving substantial discounts, but in reality, the goods will still cost you much more than you bargained for.
• Selling strategies such as “only 5 left,” or “offer only available today,” or, “50% off” are used to pressure into making a hasty purchase without proper consideration.

Want to learn about Rescue + Turtle Owners without the extra fluff? We keep it straightforward. Can You Really Track a Sea Turtle with Fahlo?

4. Unverifiable claims:

• There is a possibility that the information presented on the website is inaccurate.
• A few examples of this kind of fraud include the sum of cash the company has contributed, how often plastic they’ve eliminated from the ocean, how many turtles they’ve monitored, or any number of other such things.
• According to these assertions, there is no proof, as usual.
• Fake endorsements and credentials are also a possibility.

5. Complaint reviews:

• In addition to the jewelry, purchasers should have received an identification number allowing them to trace their turtles.

It’s clear from user feedback on the internet that these records are often absent or that just a single number is provided repeatedly.

• Adding insult to injury, Ocean Project.co and a host of other similar firms have stolen tracking numbers without permission and sell them where the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) provides the opportunity to track turtles without any cost.

Some Other Tips To Detect Scam Websites

You can easily detect if the website is a scam or not simply by being a little careful and keeping an eye out on them. Some more tips on identifying them:

• Verify about a charity’s affiliation with a website related to the organization to ensure it is legitimate.
• You may quickly find products by taking a screenshot of the product and then hunt for other websites that have the same picture on google.
• If you do a quick search on Google, Amazon, or AliExpress, you can locate the exact same bracelets or pendants for a lower price.
• If they claim to have credentials and endorsements, be sure they are real.
• When learning about a firm for the first time via a sponsored advertisement, proceed with caution and get as much information as possible.
• Make sure the website includes a Cookie and Privacy Policy. Consider whether or not it was copied from another site, or is it relevant to the website contents.
• Check the number of comments on their social media as the total number of comments will remain the same even after removing the negative comments by the scammers which is very common.
• Does Not allow right clicking to prevent from taking screenshots and pasting information into a search engine.
• The fake sites will not have a Twitter handle as retweets that call them out as a fraud can’t be deleted or quoted.
• The fraud websites usually don’t have any person, name or a face to guide you or help with any queries and generally have a generic Gmail, Hotmail, or other email accounts.

What Is Wildlife Collections (Fahlo)?

Fahlo (formerly Wildlife Collections) is the only company officially partnered with Sea Turtle Conservancy to sell tracking bracelets. They donate 10% of every turtle bracelet sale directly to STC.

The company was started in 2018 by two friends, Daniel Gunter and Carter Forbes, who wanted to make conservation more personal and engaging. Their idea was simple — instead of just asking people to donate, give them something tangible and let them connect with a real animal.

When you buy a Fahlo bracelet, you get a card with your turtle’s name, photo, and story. You also get a QR code that links to an interactive tracking map where you can follow your turtle’s journey across the ocean.

Fahlo has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to conservation through their partnerships. Beyond sea turtles, they also work with Polar Bears International, Save the Elephants, Saving the Blue (sharks), and Orca Research Trust.

How Do Fahlo Bracelets Work?

Fahlo is a genuine organization. When you buy anything from them, they contribute a percentage of the revenue to sea turtles and various animal conservation groups that they work with.

Fahlo collaborates with a number of conservation groups including sea turtles. They help these environmental organizations by developing items that the public can purchase and utilize to donate money to the cause and thus make a difference in the world.

For every bracelet sold, Fahlo gives a portion of the revenue to the campaign’s affiliated charity.

In addition to receiving the campaign wristband, they also provide accurate animal tracking codes unlike other scam websites. Each bracelet comes with a unique animal to follow.

Take, for instance, the STC campaign’s wristband, which has a tracking turtle. It’s possible to learn more about the turtle and monitor its movements on a map.

Saving the Blue, Polar Bears International, Orca Research Trust, Save the Elephants and The Sea Turtle Conservancy are among the organizations Fahlo is now collaborating with.

In the future, they intend to work with many more conservation organizations like these to help endangered animals.

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The Fahlo Journey Bracelets

The Journey Bracelet is Fahlo’s sea turtle product. It comes with a tracking card that includes your turtle’s name, picture, backstory, and a QR code to follow their location.

The bracelet itself is made of beads with a small turtle charm. It comes in multiple colors so you can pick one that fits your style. Current price is around $15-17 depending on sales.

But the bracelet is really just the starting point. The real value is the tracking experience — scanning the QR code, seeing where your turtle is swimming, checking back weeks later to see how far they’ve traveled. It makes you feel connected to an animal you’ll never meet in person.

This is also why it works so well as a gift. You’re not just giving jewelry — you’re giving someone their own sea turtle to follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Follow Your Legend Legit?

It is difficult to determine conclusively whether Follow Your Legend is legit or not. Some reviews on Trustpilot indicate positive experiences with the company, such as one customer who was “very pleased” with their purchase.

Is Club Ocean Legit?

There are concerns about the legitimacy of Club Ocean. The Sea Turtle Conservancy has issued a scam alert warning people not to purchase products from Club Ocean, Bela Wonder, Ocean Project.co, Turtle’s Journey, Wildlife Team, Wildlife Mission, or Ocean Better.

Additionally, Club Ocean has been targeted by counterfeiters, and there are fraudulent websites claiming to provide animal tracking features that possibly redirect users to Sea Turtle Conservancy tracking, leading to confusion and discrediting the company’s legitimate operations.

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Is Fahlo Sea Turtle Legit?

Yes, Fahlo is completely legit. They’re the official jewelry partner of Sea Turtle Conservancy — you can verify this on STC’s own website. They donate 10% of every bracelet sale to conservation, and the tracking codes they provide are real.

I’ve used Fahlo myself. My bracelet came with a turtle named PopTart, and I’ve been tracking her for years. The product quality is solid, the tracking works, and the money goes where they say it goes.

If you’re skeptical because of all the scam sites out there, I get it. But Fahlo is the one company you can trust.

Is Fahlo a Good Gift?

Absolutely. The Fahlo bracelet is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give to someone who loves the ocean or sea turtles.

Instead of generic jewelry, you’re giving them a real turtle to track — with a name, story, and interactive map. It’s personal, it supports conservation, and it’s something they can check on for months or even years.

It works for birthdays, holidays, or just because. And at around $15-17, it’s affordable enough to gift without overthinking it.

How Do Animal Tracking Bracelets Work?

Animal tracking bracelets typically work by using GPS or satellite technology to monitor the movements of the animal wearing the bracelet.

The bracelet is usually equipped with a small tracking device that communicates with a network of satellites or other tracking devices to determine the animal’s location. The data collected by the tracking device is then transmitted to a central database where it can be analyzed and used to track the animal’s movements over time.

Some animal tracking bracelets also include other features such as temperature sensors, accelerometers, and other environmental monitoring tools that can provide additional information about the animal’s behavior and habitat.

What Happens If My Fahlo Animal Dies?

If your Fahlo animal dies, you should contact the company’s customer service team to report the incident and provide any relevant information about the animal’s death. The team will then work with the conservation partner associated with the campaign to determine the cause of death and take any necessary actions to prevent similar incidents in the future.

If the death is determined to be related to the tracking device or bracelet, Fahlo will provide a replacement bracelet and tracking device free of charge.

Ready to get the facts on FAQ + Turtle Owners? Here’s your turtle-friendly guide. What Sea Turtles Can Teach You About Living Better

Does Fahlo Really Help Animals?

Fahlo is a legitimate company that helps animals through its partnerships with various wildlife conservation organizations.

Fahlo donates a portion of the proceeds from every purchase to these organizations, and the bracelets themselves provide a way to monitor and track the movements of animals such as sea turtles, sharks, polar bears, and elephants.

Final Words

Lastly, in order to support aquatic animals, you should seek respectable organizations that are entirely honest about how your contribution is used as you cannot get to see the difference firsthand.

Do your homework before you donate money to a good cause or a business. If you’re unsure about a company, read reviews on credible websites, search for different sources for information and avoid doing business with it.

Anyways, do not let these scam websites stop your kind soul. In a world full of scams your generosity and empathy need to shine brighter which can be done just by being a little careful and aware.