New campaign launched to fight festive fraud

Festive E-commerce Discounts And Bargain Scams 

Online shoppers should be extra careful to avoid getting trapped in fake deals during Christmas. Many consumers search for bargains and gifts, and fraudsters seek opportunities in attractive festive deals. 

Last year, over 15k shoppers were conned by online criminals who offered deals and directed customers to phoney websites where they were asked to enter certain details to get the non-existent products. Many were duped into buying travel packages through websites impersonating legitimate travel sites. 

The regulatory office Action Fraud launched the platform Gumtree to provide security and protect customers from festive season scams. The campaign urges people to be careful and not agree to a discount that appears too good to be true.

How Does It Happen?

• Unscrupulous gangs join together to lure people into buying cheap deals, and the investigation into such deals finds people should not rush to make such purchases to secure a must-have gift item or a bargain.

• Instead, they should carefully look into the offer and take time to check every detail associated with it. Check all the buying conditions and options available or money transfer. 

• The survey on festive season shoppers found Apple iPhone accounted for 74 per cent of the transactions where the customers were searching for a bargain in smartphones but never received the product they ordered—other buyers spent on non-existent household items, computers, clothes and accessories. 

• The scammers offered fake holiday accommodation and packages, asking the client to pay 50 per cent of the charges to secure the rooms. Unfortunately, most people unaware of the trick paid and lost the deposit for the non-existent accommodation. 

How To Spot It?

• They send invoices that look like a utility, and the payment is made through authorised Push Payment, which cannot be reversed once done. 

• The fraudsters mimic the banks' emails and seek details by stating, "Certain eCommerce-based purchases have been made, but they cannot be processed without further action from the user." 

• Some send messages claiming your order has been cancelled, and you can get a refund by clicking and registering to the given link (in the text message or email). 

• Some cybercriminals create lookalikes of Amazon and Google, but there can be discrepancies in the address. For example, there can be missing or replaced alphabets in the address.

• Certain websites send links for membership renewal or seek to fill in details for completing registration due for some prime subscription. 

How To Protect Yourself?

Check the web address. It should be legitimate and not misspelt, e.g. the domain name .co.uk was written as .org. Black Friday is one of the most anticipated sales events, and the victims who want to bag a great deal are targeted during such events. Never buy when sleepy, in a hurry or under the influence of alcohol. 

Always be clear about your shopping targets, and do not buy under pressure. To protect yourself, always do complete research and look up authentic reviews of the sites. Do not click links or emails of unknown individuals, brands, or stores. 

• Conduct your research before making payments and check all the warnings and policies related to such transactions. 

• Look for the seller's logo and brand images. 

• Ensure all the receipts and invoices are proper and read the terms and conditions. Shoppers are asked to avoid offers that are too much of a bargain.

• One should not transfer funds to get the product unless you completely trust the website or person. Always avoid payments through wire transfers or crypto assets. 

• Always update software apps to avoid loss due to the old versions, as it allows attackers to steal information from the user's device. 

• Use strong passwords to protect the email accounts associated with shopping sites, and do not click or visit the website through the links offered by text messages from unknown sources. 

• It is advised to report the matter immediately to the regulatory agencies if you suspect any transaction.

• Always transfer funds through reputable, reliable, secured transaction sites through credit/ debit cards to avoid loss.