The advent of online shopping has completely changed the way we shop. Now we prefer to shop almost everything online as it offers various offers, discounts, and convenience. Also, the number of people shopping online has seen a drastic rise in the past few years. As online shopping is gaining popularity day by day, frauds related to online shopping are also increasing. Fraudsters come up with new techniques every day to cheat people and make a quick buck.
These days fraudsters are making use of deals and offers available on various online shopping portals to cheat innocent people. The new fraud which we are going to discuss in this blog actually takes place after the product is delivered to customers. Fraudsters normally target customers who have made high-value purchases such as televisions, appliances, and smartphones on online shopping portals. Customers are contacted in the name of an attractive deal for the purchases they have made online.
See Also: Online shopping Fraud: Doctor loses Rs 2.62 Lakh after he bought a bag
As we mentioned earlier, fraudsters target customers who have made high-value purchases on any online shopping portal. After the product is delivered to customers, fraudsters will call them by claiming to be from the online shopping portal from which they have made the purchase. In case customers have purchased on Amazon, the fraudster will introduce himself as an executive from Amazon and he will say that the call is made for collecting customer feedback. The customers will be asked questions about the delivery service, quality of the product and so on.
Once the feedback is collected, the caller will inform customers that they have won “Rs 15 lakhs or an XUV 500 car” from the lucky draw associated with the purchase made on the online shopping portal.
In order to gain the customer's trust, the caller will verify his/her name, address, order ID and mobile number. Since the fraudster provides all the information, customers believe it is a genuine deal and fall for the trap. To avail the prize, customers will be asked to make payment of Rs 1,500 as registration fee for processing the gift. Believing it to be true many people make the payment online or through mobile wallet.
A lot of people have fallen prey to these kinds of frauds and lost their money. Recently, many shoppers have taken to social media to alert people about this fraud.
1. Do not respond to unsolicited offers received through emails, messages, phone calls, and other social media channels. In case you receive such calls, verify it by contacting the customer care number of the company.
2. Do not pay an advance fee to anyone who contacts you in the name of lucky draw.
3. Be careful about the offers which are too good to be true.
Not happy with a product or service? Just visit IndianMoney.com’s complaint portal IamCheated.com and post your issue. We’ll get in touch with the concerned entity and help you with the resolution. With an aim to spread awareness on fraudulent activities, we publish articles and videos on a regular basis. You can also publish reviews about companies on IamCheated.com.
