ACCC warns fake online stores are targeting shoppers
Online shoppers have been put on high alert, after the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) released a warning about fake online stores.
The ACCC’s Scamwatch service has reportedly received more than 1,000 reports of scams already in 2017, amounting in $150,000 in money taken by fraudsters.
Scam artists often pose as well-known brands, and offer popular products at prices that are too-good-to-be-true. Worryingly, the ACCC reports that half the shoppers who had fallen victim to the scams had lost money as a result.
ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard says, “The biggest tip-off is the method of payment: scammers will often ask you to pay using a money order, pre-loaded money card, or wire transfer, even gift cards from well-known retailers. If you make a payment this way to a scammer, you’re highly unlikely to see that money again.”
For more information, or to report a scam, you can visit Scamwatch here.