The National Anti-Scam Centre is urging online shoppers to remain vigilant as it ramps up its efforts to disrupt scammers targeting Australians ahead of this weekend’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.
Online shopping scams account for 50 per cent of the fraudulent or malicious websites taken down in the past three months.
What should you do to avoid a scam?
Stop – Scammers often pose as businesses that you know and trust. Stop and confirm you are buying from a real online store and not a fake website. Be wary of social media stores that are new and selling products at very low prices. Scammers also post fake ads and fake reviews.
Check – Search for the official website of the company. Don’t assume the first search result that comes up in an internet search is the real website. Check the website you want to buy from has information about privacy, terms and conditions of use, dispute resolution and contact details, plus a secure payment service like PayPal or credit card.
Protect – Act quickly if something feels wrong. Reporting suspicious websites to Scamwatch quickly will allow us to take swift action to takedown fake websites and protect other shoppers against financial harm.
Image: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/ai-generated-scam-fraud-text-8587534/
