Online shopping is becoming more and more popular among Russians. Unfortunately, the increase in the number of buyers on the Internet is accompanied by an increase in the activity of fraudsters on the Internet. How to make your purchases as safe as possible and protect yourself from losing money?
It is necessary
Access to the Internet
Instructions
Step 1
In order not to become a victim of fraudsters, it is necessary to pay attention to a number of signs that distinguish unscrupulous sellers. The main trick used by scammers to lure buyers is low prices. If the offered price is an order of magnitude lower than the market average, this is one of the signs of a potential fraudster. At best, this may indicate an offer of a fake or substandard product.
Step 2
Often scammers start rushing you to order. They are trying to convince you that this price is valid for the last day (hour, minutes), or that the product is in limited quantities. This is done so that you do not have time to soberly evaluate all the details of the upcoming purchase.
Step 3
Try not to purchase goods on the Internet with a 100% prepayment requirement. Especially if it is proposed to transfer money to an electronic wallet, or a personal card of an individual. Such transactions are especially dangerous. But if you decide to take a risk, at least check the seller's ratings in payment systems.
Step 4
In bona fide online stores there is always an alternative to prepayment. This can be cash on delivery at the post office upon receipt of the goods, payment to the courier, or delivery through a pick-up point.
Step 5
See what forms of payment the seller offers. If there is no cashless settlement among them, this is a bad signal.
Firstly, when opening a current account, the company is always checked by the bank's security service. Secondly, payment aggregators that provide payment acceptance also analyze their potential partners.
Step 6
If an online store does not have the status of a legal entity or an individual entrepreneur, this should also be alarming. After all, the seller is already outside the legal field and is engaged in illegal trade. So what prevents him from cheating ordinary buyers? The presented scan of the seller's passport cannot serve as a guarantee of honesty. This does not in any way confirm his identity and the authenticity of the document.
Step 7
The website of the online store must contain contact information about the seller. These include information about the organization or individual entrepreneur, TIN, KPP, legal address. On the FTS website, clarify whether such a company actually exists, how long it has been on the market, what kind of activity profile is indicated in the constituent documents, whether it is registered as a figurehead (if the name of the founder appears in many other companies), etc. …
Step 8
It is desirable that the online store has its own office. See if the seller is actually located at the specified address. Fraudsters often indicate non-existent addresses. However, the presence of an office is an optional requirement, since many honest sellers do not rent premises just to save on costs and offer competitive prices. But if only a mobile phone or e-mail is listed among the contacts, then such a store is potentially dangerous.
Step 9
Read reviews about the store on the Internet and check the rating of the store. Not only the negative shopping experience of other users, but also the extremely positive ratings of the online store should draw attention to themselves. Unfortunately, distributing paid reviews is a very common practice today. The lack of history in the store is also a reason to be wary.
Step 10
What else should you pay attention to? Compare the product description with a similar one offered on other Internet resources. The presence of inaccuracies and inconsistencies, as well as numerous mistakes, forces us to approach the purchase with caution.
