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According to a 2016 TechCrunch report, 79% of consumers in the United States shop online. That is a significant jump, especially, when you consider that in 2000, only 22% of US consumers shopped online.
This growing trend of shopping online is replicated across the world. The UK, for instance, has the highest percentage of online retail sales against total retail sales. Unfortunately, as more people continue to shop online, cybercriminals have, in turn, wised up.
Scammers are at the forefront setting up fake online retail stores or impersonating genuine stores with the aim of tricking customers into buying from them. So prevalent is this kind of fraud that in 2018, Brits lost 58 million pounds to online shopping scams. The story is similar in the US and anywhere else in the world where online shopping is popular.
With that in mind, the question becomes, what can you do to protect yourself from online shopping fraud? Here are five signs that an online store is not legitimate.
1. The Site Does Not Allow Payment with Either a Debit or Credit Card
Anytime you come across a site asking you to pay in any of the following five methods, beware.
- Money orders
- Cryptocurrencies
- Money-transfer services
- Direct wire transfers
- Prepaid cards
Note that there is nothing wrong with the mentioned methods of payment. However, a store that declines credit card, debit card or PayPal but only accepts the above is suspect. With payment methods such as wire transfers, there is little you can do to get your money back.
Moreover, take note if a store asks for extremely personal information (social security number, for instance) as a requirement for completing a transaction. That is usually a sign of fraud.
2. The Website’s Domain Name Is Not Straightforward
Genuine retail websites have straightforward domain names or URLs. Consider, for example, calvinklein.us or louisvuitton.com.
Therefore, anytime you encounter a website with a complicated domain name or whose URL has words such as “sales, “deals,” or “discounts” then it is probably a scam. Also, check for special characters in the URL. A good example to consider is “Amaz0n” or “Nike0utlet.”
Note that to verify a site’s legitimacy, you can always type the address into Google’s Transparency Report to find out Google’s safety rating.
3. The Site Has Shady or Suspect Contact Information
It follows that an illegitimate online store will not provide valid contact information. That means when you call, no one ever answers, or you get a prerecorded voicemail. They may also restrict communication to solely online forms.
Moreover, if the store has a social media presence, then all the social media accounts should provide substantial details, contain reviews and be up to date.
4. The Website Is Constantly Offering Extreme Discounts and Deals
Scammers tend to offer crazy deals to make you lower your inhibitions or make you feel like you are getting a steal.
Admittedly, you might not know the market price for a specific genuine product. Therefore, anytime you come across a seemingly good deal, try and find that product on several other online stores and compare the price.
Remember, genuine retailers will always try to compete anytime one retailer is offering a significant discount.
5. The Site Uses HTTP Instead of HTTPS and Invasive Advertising
HTTP is a protocol that governs how messages are transmitted across the internet. HTTPS is like HTTP, with the only difference being the “s” at the end that stands for Security.
A site whose URL starts with HTTPS indicates that any information from that site is encrypted and hence safe from cybercriminals. HTTPS means the website’s owners care about protecting the information of those who visit the site. In turn, that indicates legitimacy.
With regards to advertising, invasive advertising is also a sign of fraud. Beware of sites with ads that take up a whole page, ads that redirect you to another page or ads that insist you take a survey first.
Final Word
Others signs you can look for include, lousy grammar, a poor website design, bad reviews and a lack of or an unclear refund policy. If you keep these signs in mind, then you will easily spot a fraudulent website.