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Sunday, Dec 22, 2024
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Online Shopping Scams on the Rise: Consumer Council Provides Tips to Help Consumers Stay Safe
The Consumer Council has provided tips to help consumers avoid falling victim to online shopping scams.
The number of online shopping scams has increased, with the council citing a rise from 2,187 in 2018 to 8,135 in 2022.
Consumers can do a background check on the stores they are buying from, including when the stores first joined social media platforms and if the stores keep changing names.
They should also be wary of stores that claim to be local but have an administrator located overseas.
The council also warned of red flags such as positive reviews in foreign languages and the use of the FPS system for payment, which does not guarantee security.
Sellers should check their available balance instead of the ledger balance in their bank account to prevent being cheated by buyers using a blank cheque or fake deposit slip.
The watchdog also encouraged consumers to enter details of the shop, phone numbers, bank account, into the police's Scameter on CyberDefender.hk before finalizing payment to assess the risks.
Consumers can do a background check on the stores they are buying from, including when the stores first joined social media platforms and if the stores keep changing names.
They should also be wary of stores that claim to be local but have an administrator located overseas.
The council also warned of red flags such as positive reviews in foreign languages and the use of the FPS system for payment, which does not guarantee security.
Sellers should check their available balance instead of the ledger balance in their bank account to prevent being cheated by buyers using a blank cheque or fake deposit slip.
The watchdog also encouraged consumers to enter details of the shop, phone numbers, bank account, into the police's Scameter on CyberDefender.hk before finalizing payment to assess the risks.
