Warning Signs of Online Shopping Fraud

What are the common signs of fraud while shop online?

Top 1:

A product claimed to offer amazing features, benefits and most of all selling at a unbelievably low price. It sounds too good to be true isn’t it? Are you the type that gets attracted easily by cheap deals? Would you not doubt the quality of product?

Top 2:

Seller demands payment to be made immediately through wire or electronic funds transfer, or insist buyer to make initial payment to be entitled for vouchers which offer cheap deals or free give-away. Why the urgency of payment demanded? Have you ever wondered why?

Top 3: 

Seller do not accept or allow buyer to make payment through any secured payment service provider such as PayPal, as well as using credit card transaction. Normally buyer is told to transfer the money to a personal bank account number, claiming to speed up the transaction process, which then fasten the delivery time taken as well.

Is that really true? Is transferring to a personal bank account sounds reliable to you?

Top 4: 

No adequate information of the seller or company could be found in the online website. Lack of information on terms and conditions of use, refund policy, or contact details could be found displayed on website. Seller tries to avoid or hide information as such when being asked, or claim that they are based in overseas, hence the inconvenience in delivering the information needed. Is such retailer seems trustworthy to you? Aren’t all these information necessary for a buyer to know?

Top 5:

The online website has a very poor rating and reviews. No feedback section could be found on page, or the seller intends to carry out the business activity and transaction away from the original website, such as through a fabricated social media account and etc with the aim of not disclosing their identity or leave any source of evidence for tracking later. If a website really is so good to be true, won’t they receive good ratings in return? Wouldn’t they proud to disclose their identity for consumers to remember them?

Are the above signs seemed alarming and worrying to you? Don’t they sounded fishy?    

Be aware, guard yourself from now!

Source:

Online shopping scams. (2015). Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Retrieved 20 August 2016, from 

https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/buying-or-selling/online-shopping-scams         

What is Online Shopping Fraud?

Internet shopping has grown to be common across the globe. Scammers online took the advantage of anonymity to perform fraudulent acts. Online shopping fraud is therefore defined as an act of cheating online involving scammers pretending to be a legitimate seller, either with a fabricated website or posting fake ads on a genuine retailer site. Innocent and less cautious customers are the higher potential victim of such scams. Spend a few minutes of your time to read the following: 

• I bought goods online but received it late, or not at all.
• I received goods that didn't match with original description.
• I received no response and unable to reach the seller after purchase made.
• I gave personal details to online seller and being used in criminal ways.   
• I get excited and attracted easily to cheap deals.
• I trust sellers online are genuine and proceed with payment without checking their identity or legitimacy of business. 

Based on the statements above, if you agreed to most of them, you're on a high potential for being a victim of online scam. If you're lucky enough to disagree, be aware as well and ensure you won't be the next victim in future. Scammers would not only cheat your money online, they could also steal your personal details and access into your bank accounts.

Isn't it scary how dangerous and vulnerable are we in the online space? Are you aware of ways on how to prevent?

Stay tuned and find out more in our following posts! We will share with you what are the types of online shopping fraud scenarios, some of the legal protection acts that would be beneficial to us consumers, as well as some useful tips and guidance on how to prevent yourself from being a victim. 

Here's a short video to illustrate what is online shopping fraud. 

Source: Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRWpvcjpQNw

Have a pleasant day ahead! =)