6 Warning Signs That You're Being Scammed!
If you haven't received any updates for more than 1 week, it's likely that it's a scam.
According to statista, in 2021, over 2.14 billion people worldwide are expected to buy goods and services online, up from 1.66 billion global digital buyers in 2016.
This shows the unlimited potential of online shopping. But it's also used by people with an ulterior motive. That's why more and more people are being scammed for shopping online. Those bad guys are hard to locate, not to mention punish them.
But if you notice the following 6 signs about its general information, you need to be careful!
Payment methods
Store Introduction
Low Price & Free Shipping
"HTTP"
No reviews
No updates
1. Payment methods - Can't pay through credit cards or reliable online payments system like PayPal
For reliable online shopping sites, it should always allow you to pay via your credit cards or some online payments system like PayPal, EBANX, Payoneer. Because you'll have the chance to act accordingly like dispute the charges and ask for the refund even the order is closed. If you didn't receive any updates for more than 1 week after placing an order, then you should be on the alert.
If this site only supports paying through the following methods, then you should be careful. Because it's almost nonrefundable or they may have your personal and financial details by asking you to fulfill a detailed sign-up form.
Money-transfer services
Direct wire transfers
Money orders
Prepaid cards
Cryptocurrencies
2. Store Introduction - The shop is newly opened with limited useful store information
It's 100% fine if shopping in a newly-opened online shop because it means more discounts. But you need to be careful if it's too new to be true. Check the following steps to see if there are any hidden dangers.
- The store doesn't have any reliable information including detailed store information(about us page), a landline number, a physical address, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service or detailed refund policy. The PO box number or a mobile phone number can always easily be changed, so does the email address.
- Try some tools like Wayback Machine, GoDaddy's WHOIS or BBB.org to double check if it's a new shopping site with shady contact information even it looks quite professional.
3. The price is extremely low & free shipping
We all like nice and cheap products. Free shipping is a plus. Merchants need to boost their sales by offering fascinating discounts. Penny Wise, Pound Foolish. Real merchants need profits to make a living. If the price doesn't make any sense, then it's a scam in all probability. This happens a lot in holiday seasons like Black Friday or Chrismas.
4. The URL/link of the shopping website starts with“HTTP”
"HTTPS", Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is an extension of the "HTTP", Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It's securer and will protect your personal data.
5. Zero reviews
The fewer reviews it has, the more attention you need to pay. Reliable retailers would be happy to present all the reviews to their customers. Before placing the order, you need to check if anyone else bought it or left some reviews on their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If not, you need to take care of.
6. No updates or any further information for more than 1 week
Most considerate customers will wait patiently after placing the order. Lots of people are too busy to keep their order updated for a month. Once you place your order, you should know the following information.
the tracking number of the package
the shipping company they use to send the package
the shipping service they use to send the package
A reliable seller will also tell you the estimated delivery time. Normally, it should be around a week at most. But we suggest you do something if there is no updates or further information for more than 1 week.
If you haven't received any updates for more than 1 week, it's likely that it's a scam.
Many sellers would tell you that it takes 8~15 days for shipping your products. But a reliable seller will always keep you updated. If you haven't received any updates from the seller for more than 1 week, you really should take actions!
What can you do when you notice it's a scam?
If you think you're scammed, there are several things you can do.
Contact the bank or third-party payment customer service to ask the refund.
In most cases, you can have the refund if you contact them a little earlier. If the payment is completed for more than 4 weeks, it's almost impossible for you to get it back.
Post the fraud website here and share it with others
Report it to the local consumer protection office
Like the Federal Trade Commission or International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN). But it's hard to locate network crime. Because it could happen any places in this world. So we highly recommend you to follow 1 & 2.
We aim to help more people from being scammed. If you find any phishing site or fake shopping sites, please feel free to let us know!
Related Articles:
Report international scams online! - econsumer.gov
Online shopping scams - Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
Consumer Protection - the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment in New Zealand
If you find other useful websites or ideas to prevent being scammed, please feel free to leave your comments and we'll update it into this article.
