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Don’t be a Victim of Online Fraud

Beware of Online Fraud

There are a number of scams out there. Online fraud, however, appears to be a growing problem as the internet reaches more and more homes.

This phenomenon has resulted in a significant rise in identity theft and bogus web-based distributors. We’d like to help you avoid becoming a victim of online fraud. The best way to do that is to educate yourself.

Types of Online Fraud

It’s sad, really, but we have to almost daily update our knowledge as criminals are constantly perfecting their methodologies. One area of online fraud we see growing has to do with bogus web-based distributors.

There are several versions of the scam but essentially, money will be collected and then either you’ll never receive the purchased item or it will be of such poor quality you’ll desire a refund. Unfortunately, in those instances online shopping returns result in additional expenditures on your part and no refund.

Of course, there’s also credit card fraud–which is often attached to identity theft. In these forms of fraud, the bogus website seems credible, asks the same questions as reputable sites, but then retains your credit card information for criminal purposes. Your data is used to make fraudulent purchases and you’re stuck fighting the bill when you finally realize you’ve been duped.

College student scams seem to revolve around this type of fraud too because they’re credit is new and therefore more readily devoured by money hungry thieves.

Finally, though certainly not the end all be all of online fraud, websites that are readily utilized and well known are sometimes the target of less than honest individuals. Therefore, while shopping their yard-sale type ads, make sure to avoid gift card fraud. The person will advertise a gift card’s value and offer to sell it to you for less than it’s worth. If you are not careful, you’ll get a card that’s all used up or has never been activated. Also, there are companies that will offer you great gift card incentives if you’ll purchase lesser valued products. Avoid them altogether as you’ll probably never see the product or the card!

Steps to Stay Safe

As they say, knowledge is power, so taking the time to learn the tricks of the thief trade is something you should probably do. Understand that there are a vast array of sneaky ways to take advantage of other people. Specifically, avoid anything that seems too good to be true and be skeptical. The perpetrator of online fraud is banking on your naïveté and your trusting nature. Learn what secure sites look like and stay informed of some of the safe guards your credit card companies and reputable websites have for you like: Verisign, MasterCard SecureCode and Verified by Visa.

Namely, be hyper vigilant about protecting your personal information. Look for your desired products on reputable sites. Don’t think that just because no one has placed a complaint on a site that it’s safe; bogus-retailers pop-up and close daily before there’s even time to complain. Do your research and utilize the safe guards set in place for you in order to avoid online fraud.

If you’ve become a victim of online fraud, let eConsumer Services® know. We will contact the bogus merchant and secure a refund for the money you’ve lost. Fill out the form to the right and we’ll get started!