Beware of Online Shopping Scams on Second-Hand Websites

With the rise of e-commerce, online retail marketplaces have also increased significantly. The number of online purchasers continues to grow as internet use and its adoption evolve worldwide. The emergence of the Internet has made it relatively seamless and easy to approach any retail store irrespective of the geographical location. In the USA, e-retail sales surpassed $861.12 billion in 2020, a 44.0% increase compared to online purchases in 2019.

However, where is money involved, scams and frauds are inevitable. Social media networks and e-commerce websites that you may believe to be trustworthy are being used to disseminate online shopping frauds. In this article, we are discussing e-commerce scams and giving you tips on how to prevent these scams. If you are not aware of these scams, you will be in great trouble.

According to recently published statistics, 2.1 million customers reported the fraudulent activity to the US Federal Trade Commission in 2020, with imposter scams accounting for the highest reported fraud.

The second-most often reported fraud among customers was related to e-commerce scams, particularly early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers are estimated to have lost $3.3 billion to fraud in 2020, a significant increase from $1.8 billion in 2019. In the United States, imposter frauds cost customers approximately $1.2 billion, while online shopping frauds resulted in $246 million in losses for consumers.

How Do You Tell if Someone is Scamming You Online?

To prevent online shopping frauds, first, we have to recognize those scammers:

A good-looking website doesn’t mean it’s real

It just doesn’t mean a website as real as it seems good. Sites are simple to make, and fraudsters frequently use a real business-like name. Check the physical address and telephone number of the business before you deposit any money.

Product with unbelievably low price

Suppose a product is advertised at an incredibly cheap cost or advertised to have incredible advantages or characteristics that seem too good to be true. It is a red flag of scam if you find a product advertised online at a rock bottom price compared to its suggested pricing.

Be careful with your payment method.

Suppose retailers need you to pay by wire transfer, prepaid debit cards, or gift cards. Scammers frequently like these payment methods since they are like cash; they don’t easily be traced.

Websites not using SSL Certificate

If the website is not containing the “s” after the HTTP in the URL and/or the lock symbol on the left-hand side of the URL bar, ensure that the site is safe.

What to Do if You Get Scammed by a Website?

If you get scammed from a website, you should follow these tips to prevent ecommerce scams.

Immediately contact your bank or credit card provider.

It is essential to notify your credit card or bank provider immediately if your account has been erroneously debited. Take the appropriate measures to safeguard your future finances, and let your bank know what has happened.

Henceforth, if your credit card provider suspects any fraudulent transactions from your account, they may freeze your card until the account is secure. Moreover, some commercial banks also provide fraud protection, which protects you against charges that you did not authorize but must notify immediately.

File a Complaint to the Customer Support Centre

Must submit a complaint to the customer support centers if you are scammed in an online marketplace such as Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, Aliexpress, etc. The customer support centers of most of these online marketplaces are pretty active. They may support or favor you to identify the perpetrator and recover or refund your stolen money correspondingly.

Get Refund

Some online buyers lose hope that once they are cheated, they will never get their money back. Although it’s hard to get your money refunded after you’ve been cheated off online; however, there are still a few possibilities you can get your full refund under specific scenarios.

Report to Police Department

Above all, if you have been scammed when buying online, you should also consider filing a police complaint.

How Can Buyers Avoid Getting Scammed?

To avoid getting ecommerce scams, a buyer needs to follow these tips:

Use VPN

Scammers often send links to find out your data. It’s better not to tempt fate and open suspicious links, but if you want to do so, with the help of a VPN, your data will be encrypted from intruders. You can download the fastest and secure VPN extension chrome for online safety. One of the most trustful is VeePN Chrome extension. It is free, and you can try online trial version of full-package features.

Check Refund or Return Policy

Check whether there is a refund or return policy on the Website or the Social Media Page and whether their policies are appropriate to consider. If anything is problematic, the best online shopping and selling sites offer comprehensive complaints or dispute resolution procedures.

Research the Retailer

While shopping online, research the site and investigate whether they are authentic or not. Look for reviews and work histories. And only settle on reliable payment procedures.

Use a secure payment service.

Only use secure payment methods to make online purchases, especially when paying for goods using PayPal, which starts its URL with “specific” and has a closed padlock symbol. It is strongly recommended to research carefully before using cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

Full-Fledged Examples of the Most Common Methods Used by Fraudsters on Sales Sites

Payment fraud

With this form of fraud, the thief is using stolen card data. Customers will also be impersonated by fraudsters using email addresses, usernames, names, locations, IP addresses, and personal devices. Manipulation of traffic may contribute to fraudulent transactions, false accounts, and fake accounts could lead to fraudulent purchases.

Many certified project managers note that scammers tried to deceive even individual departments in the company. Fraudsters offered to buy office furniture, computers, etc., and tried to steal credit card data. Fortunately, their deception was noticed in time.

Friendly fraud

Friendly fraud may occur for the purposes of the business or just by accident. The client is paying for a service or product they say is never provided or damaged in delivery. To meet customer expectations, the seller needs to provide a refund, return the goods, or incur a chargeback. It is common for e-commerce businesses to have complaints about chargebacks.

Triangulation fraud

This kind of fraud involves establishing a false or duplicate website, sometimes using stolen identities, and then using it to trick customers into buying stolen products. Fake websites may appear in advertisements or be delivered to the user’s email if they get a phishing email that directs them to the website.

Conclusion

To prevent online shopping frauds and ecommerce scams, follow the simple steps stated above, including verifying the site’s HTTPS and searching for additional identifiable details about the seller. Despite all this, if you realize that you’ve fallen victim to online shopping frauds, you should immediately contact your bank and credit card provider and report the incident to the authorities, contact customer support centers, and file a complaint to the police.

Nevertheless, there is no way to remain 100 percent secure from scammers. Yet you can increase your chances of finding and avoiding these ecommerce scams by being more vigilant in online shopping.