Now it is festive season and almost all the e-commerce websites are offering various discounts and offers to attract customers. Amazon and Flipkart are the big players in the market that are offering huge discounts. Normally, a lot of people make purchases during this season as it is the most awaited time. One can actually save a lot of money while shopping during the festive season through discounts and cashback offers. But the sad part here is, fraudsters are taking advantage of this situation to cheat innocent people who shop online. Since the concept of online shopping is quite new in India, it has become easy for fraudsters to carry out fraud and make a quick buck.
As online shopping frauds are on the rise, it is very important to be careful while shopping online during the festive season. In this blog, we will discuss the common online shopping scams that take place during the festive season.
1. Fake feedback call
Under the fake feedback call scam, fraudsters call online shoppers by claiming to be calling from the online shopping portal. They say that it is a feedback call regarding the recent purchase made on the website. This call is made after the delivery is completed. After collecting the feedback, the caller will inform the shopper that he has won cash price worth some lakhs or an XUV 500 car” as a lucky draw. To receive the prize, they will be asked to pay the registration fees.
2. Fake WhatsApp messages regarding discounts and cashback
Fraudsters send phishing Whatsapp messages which talks about the discounts offered by top brands. The main intention of sending these messages is to collect personal banking information of people to steal money from the bank account.
3. Credit Card Offers
You will receive a call from someone who claims to be from a credit card company. They will offer you a new credit card or claim to enhance the limit of an existing credit card. They even say your credit card is blocked. This is all done with the intention of collecting your card details.
4. Coupon scam
With the intention of availing discounts, people normally search for coupon codes online. There are chances of you falling into a trap while searching for a coupon online as fraudsters come up with fake coupons. So you should not search for coupons while shopping online.
5. Calls from fake company representatives offering special deals online
During the festive season, you might receive a call from the fake company executive who claims to offer attractive discounts on expensive household items. You will be sent an SMS with a link to purchase the item. Most of these links are malicious links, sent with the intention of stealing your personal banking information.
6. Fake websites
When you search for online portals using a search engine, there are chances of you landing on fraudulent websites. So it is very important to check the URL of the website before making a purchase. During the festive season, many fake websites pop up in different URLs to steal login details.
See Also: A Story Of How Dr. Fraud Cheated Online Shopping Sites
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