Online shopping fraud

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 Scams – 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.