Fraud and Cyber Crime

Online shopping (including e-commerce)

Online shopping fraud, also known as E-commerce fraud, involves deceptive practices aimed at stealing money, personal information, or other assets from individuals making purchase over the internet. This type of fraud can occur on legitimate e-commerce websites, though fake online stores, or via fraudulent advertisements.

There are numerous risks posed and different guises by which this kind of fraudulent activity can take place: 

• Fake online stores – scammers create websites that look like legitimate online stores, offering products at attractive prices. Once the victim makes a purchase, they either receive counterfeit goods or nothing at all.
• Phishing scams – fraudsters send emails or messages pretending to be from reputable e-commerce sites, asking users to update their payment information or login details. These links lead to fake websites designed to steal personal information, 
• Non-delivery acams – the scammer lists high-demand items at low prices on legitimate marketplaces. After receiving payment, they never ship the product, leaving the buyer without their money or the item.
• Chargeback fraud – a buyer makes a purchase and then requests a chargeback from their credit card company, claiming they are never received the item or that the transaction was unauthorised. This leaves the seller without the product and the payment.
• Refund fraud – the scammer purchases an item and then returns a different, often less valuable, item for a refund, the seller ends up losing both the original product and the money. 

Ticketing fraud 

Ticketing fraud involves the deceptive sale of tickets for events, such as concerts, sports games, or travel, where the tickets are either fake, do not exist, or are not delivered to the buyer. This type of fraud can occur through various channels, including fake websites, social media, and unauthorised sellers. 

The most common forms of this type of cyber fraud are as follows: 

• Fake tickets – scammers sell counterfeit tickets that look real but are invalid. Victims only discover the fraud when they are denied entry at the event.
• ‘Lookalike’ websites – fraudsters create websites that mimic the legitimate ticketing sites, tricking users into purchasing fake tickets or providing personal information. 
• Phishing scams – scammers send emails or messages pretending to be from reputable ticketing companies, directing users to fake websites to steal their login credentials and payment information.
• Third-party payment – sellers insist on completing transactions outside of official ticketing platforms, often requesting payment through bank transfers or gift cards, which are difficult to trace and recover.
• Unauthorised reselling – scammers sell tickets they do not own or have already sold to multiple buyers, leading to multiple victims with invalid tickets. 

Stay safe while shopping or interacting with the online spaces. Make sure to always check the weblink you are using is secure with a lock icon and https:// is at the start of your web address.

Never click links sent to you by emails, messages or links on advertisements. Always conduct research into websites before clicking on them or providing your information.