Have you ever shopped online but not receiving the goods after payment?
Online Shopping Scam
Have you ever shopped online but not receiving the goods after payment? Most scammers defraud consumers with the following tricks:
Scammers posing as sellers
- Special Offers – Attract buyers with limited offers, sales, overseas purchasing services
- Lose contact upon receiving money – Ask buyers to transfer money into designated accounts and refuse to trade face to face. Upon receiving the money, the sellers will vanish into thin air.
Scammers posing as buyers
- Forged receipts – Use a forged cash deposit slip as proof of fund transfer
- Invalid Cheques – Deposit a non-cashable cheque into seller’s account, creating a false deposit record.
- Lose contact upon receiving products - Fraudsters will lose contact after receiving the products. The sellers will not realise it is a scam until the payment is rejected.
Buyers Alert
Characteristics of suspicious online shops on social media platform
The pages have been run only for a few days or weeks. No physical store address or telephone number is shown. (Hint: The “Page Transparency” section in the platform shows the date the page was created.)
The pages may be advertised on the platform to boost the visibility
Paid posters are hired to leave good reviews or comments, creating the illusion that the shops attract considerable patronage
A variety of products are being sold on the pages and most are hot items
Only a few posts are created on the pages
Most photos in the posts are captured from other online shops
Sellers Alert
“Bounced Cheque” Features
Scammers deposit a non-cashable cheque into seller’s account and use the cash deposit slip to create a false impression that deposit has been made.
Seller can verify the transaction status at ATMs. The value added in “Account Balance” does not mean transaction is successful, while “Available Balance” reflects the actual credit status.
Seller can also check “Available Balance” through Internet Banking Service to verify the transaction.
Scam Prevention Tips
Patronise reputable online sellers, trade face to face whenever possible
Purchase tickets and shopping coupons through official sales channels
When selling goods, do not just rely on deposit slips as proof of completed payments
Before payment, you should search the phone number, bank account number, page name, etc. provided by the seller, and pay attention to negative reviews
In case of doubt, terminate the transaction immediately
If in doubt, input phone numbers, social media account names, etc, in Scameter to assess risk, or call 18222 for enquiries
What is Online Shopping Scam?
What methods will fraudsters use to deceive consumers?
1. Special Offers – Attract buyers with limited offers, sales, overseas purchasing services
2. Lose contact upon receiving money – Ask buyers to transfer money into designated accounts and refuse to trade face to face. Upon receiving the money, the sellers will vanish into thin air.
Scammers posing as buyers
1. Forged receipts – Use a forged cash deposit slip as proof of fund transfer
2. Invalid Cheques – Deposit a non-cashable cheque into seller’s account, creating a false deposit record.
3. Lose contact upon receiving products - Fraudsters will lose contact after receiving the products. The sellers will not realise it is a scam until the payment is rejected.
Buyers Alert：Characteristics of suspicious online shops on social media platform？
2. The pages may be advertised on the platform to boost the visibility
3. Paid posters are hired to leave good reviews or comments, creating the illusion that the shops attract considerable patronage
4. A variety of products are being sold on the pages and most are hot items
5. Only a few posts are created on the pages
6. Most photos in the posts are captured from other online shops
Sellers Alert：Any Features of “Bounced Cheque”？
2. Seller can verify the transaction status at ATMs. The value added in “Account Balance” does not mean transaction is successful, while “Available Balance” reflects the actual credit status.
3. Seller can also check “Available Balance” through Internet Banking Service to verify the transaction.
Any Tips for Scam Prevention?
2. Purchase tickets and shopping coupons through official sales channels
3. When selling goods, do not just rely on deposit slips as proof of completed payments
4. Before payment, you should search the phone number, bank account number, page name, etc. provided by the seller, and pay attention to negative reviews
5. In case of doubt, terminate the transaction immediately
6. If in doubt, input phone numbers, social media account names, etc, in Scameter to assess risk, or call 18222 for enquiries
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