{"id":42008,"date":"2022-09-26T11:10:15","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T01:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/?p=42008"},"modified":"2023-09-20T17:02:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T07:02:23","slug":"how-to-protect-yourself-from-online-shopping-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/geekspeak\/how-to-protect-yourself-from-online-shopping-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"How to protect yourself from online shopping scams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"cta-banner cta-banner--black\">\n    <div class=\"cta-banner__inner\">\n    <h2 class=\"cta-banner__title\">Book a Digital Security Check today<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"cta-banner__text\">Worried about online shopping scams? You need a Geek. \r\n\r\nIf online safety is a concern of yours, book a Digital Security Check today with us to help protect yourself from cybercrime.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"cta-banner__buttons\">\n      \n      \n      \n              <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/digital-security-check\/\" class=\"button button--red\">\n          <span>\n                          <svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMinYMin\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#shield\"><\/use>\n              <\/svg>\n                        Find out more          <\/span>\n        <\/a>\n      \n      \n      \n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Everyone loves a bargain, and it can be very easy to score a superb discount shopping online, because it\u2019s easier to quickly compare prices, models and features with the click of a mouse or a tap of a smartphone screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, this same ease of use makes it a prime target for online shopping scams, where criminals try to get access to your money and information, giving nothing in return. The delight you feel at scoring a great bargain can very quickly turn into disgust and tears if you get ripped off online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there are countless online merchants, with new ones popping up every day. If all you\u2019re looking at is a web storefront, how can you tell the real deal from the sharks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first step is understanding how these scams work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Protect Yourself Against: Online Shopping Scams | Geeks2U Tech Support\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xvM7N3Is1rQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"cta flex no-wrap align-center\">\n  <a href=\"tel:1300 769 448\" aria-label=\"Call Geeks2U\" class=\"button is-call tellink \">\n  <div class=\"icon phone\">\n    <svg width=\"2rem\" height=\"2rem\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMinYMin\">\n      <path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M11.8,29.9c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.2,0c-2.3-0.6-4.3-1.7-6-3.3c-1.7-1.6-2.8-3.6-3.5-5.8c-0.1-0.5,0.1-1,0.6-1.1\n      c0.5-0.1,1,0.1,1.1,0.6c0.5,1.9,1.5,3.6,3,5c1.5,1.4,3.2,2.4,5.2,2.9c0.5,0.1,0.8,0.6,0.7,1.1C12.6,29.6,12.2,29.9,11.8,29.9z\n      M12,26.4c-0.1,0-0.2,0-0.2,0c-1.4-0.4-2.7-1.1-3.7-2.1c-1-0.9-1.7-2.1-2.1-3.3c-0.2-0.5,0.1-1,0.6-1.1c0.5-0.2,1,0.1,1.1,0.6\n      c0.3,1,0.9,1.8,1.6,2.6c0.8,0.8,1.8,1.4,2.9,1.7c0.5,0.1,0.8,0.6,0.6,1.1C12.7,26.1,12.4,26.4,12,26.4z M25.2,13.6\n      c-0.4,0-0.7-0.3-0.9-0.6c-0.3-1.1-0.9-2-1.7-2.8c-0.8-0.7-1.7-1.3-2.7-1.6c-0.5-0.1-0.7-0.7-0.6-1.1c0.1-0.5,0.6-0.7,1.1-0.6\n      c1.3,0.4,2.4,1.1,3.4,2c1,1,1.8,2.2,2.2,3.6c0.1,0.5-0.1,1-0.6,1.1C25.3,13.6,25.3,13.6,25.2,13.6z M28.8,13.4\n      c-0.4,0-0.8-0.3-0.9-0.7c-0.5-1.9-1.5-3.6-3-5c-1.5-1.4-3.2-2.4-5.2-2.9c-0.5-0.1-0.8-0.6-0.6-1.1c0.1-0.5,0.6-0.8,1.1-0.6\n      c2.3,0.6,4.3,1.7,6,3.3c1.7,1.7,2.9,3.6,3.5,5.8c0.1,0.5-0.2,1-0.6,1.1C29,13.4,28.9,13.4,28.8,13.4z\"\/>\n      <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M23.3,25.5c-3.4,0-7.1-1.8-10.5-5.1c-2.6-2.5-5.6-6.5-5.2-11.1C7.7,8,9.2,6.1,10.9,5.7c1.9-0.5,3,0.8,3.4,1.3\n      c0.5,0.6,1.8,2.3,2.3,3.2c0.6,1.1,0.3,2.6-0.6,3.4c-0.2,0.2-0.3,0.5-0.3,0.8c0,0.3,0.1,0.5,0.3,0.7c0.8,0.7,1.1,1,1.2,1.1l1.1,1.1\n      c0.6,0.6,1.4,0.2,1.6,0c0.9-0.9,2.3-1.2,3.5-0.6c0.9,0.4,2.7,1.7,3.3,2.2c1.2,1,1.7,2.1,1.3,3.3c-0.5,1.6-2.5,3.2-3.8,3.3\n      C23.9,25.5,23.6,25.5,23.3,25.5z M11.7,7.4c-0.1,0-0.2,0-0.3,0c-0.9,0.2-2,1.6-2,2.1c-0.4,3.9,2.3,7.4,4.7,9.6\n      C16,21,19.8,24,24,23.7c0.5,0,1.9-1,2.2-2c0.1-0.4,0-0.8-0.7-1.4c-0.6-0.5-2.2-1.6-3-2c-0.5-0.2-1.1-0.1-1.4,0.2\n      c-1,1-2.9,1.3-4.2,0.1l-1.1-1.1c0,0,0,0,0,0c0,0-0.2-0.2-1.1-1c-0.6-0.5-0.9-1.2-0.9-2c0-0.8,0.3-1.6,0.9-2.1\n      c0.4-0.3,0.5-0.9,0.2-1.3c-0.3-0.7-1.5-2.2-2.1-2.9C12.5,7.6,12.1,7.4,11.7,7.4z\"\/>\n    <\/svg>\n  <\/div>\n  <span>1300 769 448<\/span><\/a><p> or complete our <button aria-label=\"Request a Callback\" class=\"bold red open-modal\">online enquiry<\/button> form today to set up an appointment with a computer repair technician<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How do online shopping scams work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The basis of an online shopping scam almost always revolves around bargains or scarcity, and sometimes both at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there\u2019s a hot item around \u2013 say a new shiny smartphone, for example \u2013 in short supply, then presenting one or more for sale at a discount price will seem very tempting to lots of people. Not only are you avoiding lengthy waits for new stock, but you\u2019re saving money as well. Who wouldn\u2019t like that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s the rub, however, because all too often the products simply don\u2019t exist \u2013 or in some cases they\u2019re poorly made cheap fake versions of the real product instead, worth only a few dollars if that, rather than the hundreds you\u2019ve paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Online shopping scams will also often ask you to set up store accounts with personal information. This makes sense if they\u2019re going to ship you something of course, but the rub there is that this information can also be used for identity theft in some cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just in case you\u2019re thinking that it must only be a few folks fooled, be aware that the ACCC\u2019s Scamwatch service estimates that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamwatch.gov.au\/scam-statistics?scamid=21&amp;date=2022\">online shopping scams cost have Australians more than $5.2 million so far in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bearing in mind that this is only for scams it\u2019s informed about, that figure is undoubtedly higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can I protect myself from online shopping scams?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some tell-tale signs that an online merchant may not be on the level to look out for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Online-shopping-body-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42012\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Online-shopping-body-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Online-shopping-body-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Online-shopping-body-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Online-shopping-body-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Online-shopping-body-900x506.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Online-shopping-body-1100x618.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Online-shopping-body.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Look for a lock<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re dealing with an online store that has its own web site, ensure at a bare minimum that the site itself is encrypted. The url should start with \u201chttps\u201d, and there should be a resultant lock icon in the address window to show that it is indeed encrypted. That\u2019s important simply to keep your personal and payment information secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Check the spelling<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For brand name items if you think you\u2019re buying from the official store, check that the URL spells the brand name correctly. Yes, it sounds stupid, but it very much can fool people into thinking that the discount Gucci bag they\u2019re scoring is legit when the URL is actually for Guuccii instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do your research<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you were going to a restaurant and a friend said that they\u2019d got food poisoning there, you would think twice about that meal. In similar fashion, before laying down your cash, do a little research on the store, brand or seller to see if there are any notable complaints about it online. While many will try to \u201creview stuff\u201d by adding lots of positive sounding reviews to sites such as Amazon or eBay, if you see disgruntled customers a-plenty, there\u2019s probably a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Use as secure a payment method as possible<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s possible to be fooled even on reputable store fronts such as Amazon, because they will allow third party merchants to sell through them. The advantage you have there is that if you use a standard payment method, you\u2019ve typically got better recourse to a refund if it does go pear shaped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a merchant offers a discount for direct deposit or money transfer, it\u2019s a good sign they may not have your best interests at heart \u2013 because those methods aren\u2019t typically reversible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Set a good password for a new site<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Never, EVER use a password on an online shop that you\u2019ve used elsewhere. If it\u2019s run by crooks, they\u2019re all but assured to use that email and password combination to see if they can get into your banking, social media and other accounts to steal even more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Think twice before hitting \u201cpay\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If a desirable item is on sale for more than about 30% off, ask yourself why that might be. In some cases, it absolutely can be end of life stock of an item, but if it\u2019s a desirable one, the merchant would almost always prefer to make as much out of it as possible. Lots of online shopping scams simply work on the premise that buyers will be dazzled by 80% discounts and little else. It\u2019s rather easy to offer an 80% discount when you never intend to ship real products, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>More cyber security tips and tricks to help to keep you safe online:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/geekspeak\/what-is-phishing\/\">How to avoid a phishing attack<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/geekspeak\/how-to-prevent-your-passwords-from-being-hacked\/\">How to prevent your passwords being hacked<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/geekspeak\/how-to-protect-yourself-against-malware\/\">How to protect yourself against viruses and malware<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/geekspeak\/how-can-you-avoid-identity-theft\/\">How to keep your identity safe online<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/geekspeak\/how-to-prevent-catfishing\/\">How to prevent catfishing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"cta flex no-wrap align-center\">\n  <a href=\"tel:1300 769 448\" aria-label=\"Call Geeks2U\" class=\"button is-call tellink \">\n  <div class=\"icon phone\">\n    <svg width=\"2rem\" height=\"2rem\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMinYMin\">\n      <path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M11.8,29.9c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.2,0c-2.3-0.6-4.3-1.7-6-3.3c-1.7-1.6-2.8-3.6-3.5-5.8c-0.1-0.5,0.1-1,0.6-1.1\n      c0.5-0.1,1,0.1,1.1,0.6c0.5,1.9,1.5,3.6,3,5c1.5,1.4,3.2,2.4,5.2,2.9c0.5,0.1,0.8,0.6,0.7,1.1C12.6,29.6,12.2,29.9,11.8,29.9z\n      M12,26.4c-0.1,0-0.2,0-0.2,0c-1.4-0.4-2.7-1.1-3.7-2.1c-1-0.9-1.7-2.1-2.1-3.3c-0.2-0.5,0.1-1,0.6-1.1c0.5-0.2,1,0.1,1.1,0.6\n      c0.3,1,0.9,1.8,1.6,2.6c0.8,0.8,1.8,1.4,2.9,1.7c0.5,0.1,0.8,0.6,0.6,1.1C12.7,26.1,12.4,26.4,12,26.4z M25.2,13.6\n      c-0.4,0-0.7-0.3-0.9-0.6c-0.3-1.1-0.9-2-1.7-2.8c-0.8-0.7-1.7-1.3-2.7-1.6c-0.5-0.1-0.7-0.7-0.6-1.1c0.1-0.5,0.6-0.7,1.1-0.6\n      c1.3,0.4,2.4,1.1,3.4,2c1,1,1.8,2.2,2.2,3.6c0.1,0.5-0.1,1-0.6,1.1C25.3,13.6,25.3,13.6,25.2,13.6z M28.8,13.4\n      c-0.4,0-0.8-0.3-0.9-0.7c-0.5-1.9-1.5-3.6-3-5c-1.5-1.4-3.2-2.4-5.2-2.9c-0.5-0.1-0.8-0.6-0.6-1.1c0.1-0.5,0.6-0.8,1.1-0.6\n      c2.3,0.6,4.3,1.7,6,3.3c1.7,1.7,2.9,3.6,3.5,5.8c0.1,0.5-0.2,1-0.6,1.1C29,13.4,28.9,13.4,28.8,13.4z\"\/>\n      <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M23.3,25.5c-3.4,0-7.1-1.8-10.5-5.1c-2.6-2.5-5.6-6.5-5.2-11.1C7.7,8,9.2,6.1,10.9,5.7c1.9-0.5,3,0.8,3.4,1.3\n      c0.5,0.6,1.8,2.3,2.3,3.2c0.6,1.1,0.3,2.6-0.6,3.4c-0.2,0.2-0.3,0.5-0.3,0.8c0,0.3,0.1,0.5,0.3,0.7c0.8,0.7,1.1,1,1.2,1.1l1.1,1.1\n      c0.6,0.6,1.4,0.2,1.6,0c0.9-0.9,2.3-1.2,3.5-0.6c0.9,0.4,2.7,1.7,3.3,2.2c1.2,1,1.7,2.1,1.3,3.3c-0.5,1.6-2.5,3.2-3.8,3.3\n      C23.9,25.5,23.6,25.5,23.3,25.5z M11.7,7.4c-0.1,0-0.2,0-0.3,0c-0.9,0.2-2,1.6-2,2.1c-0.4,3.9,2.3,7.4,4.7,9.6\n      C16,21,19.8,24,24,23.7c0.5,0,1.9-1,2.2-2c0.1-0.4,0-0.8-0.7-1.4c-0.6-0.5-2.2-1.6-3-2c-0.5-0.2-1.1-0.1-1.4,0.2\n      c-1,1-2.9,1.3-4.2,0.1l-1.1-1.1c0,0,0,0,0,0c0,0-0.2-0.2-1.1-1c-0.6-0.5-0.9-1.2-0.9-2c0-0.8,0.3-1.6,0.9-2.1\n      c0.4-0.3,0.5-0.9,0.2-1.3c-0.3-0.7-1.5-2.2-2.1-2.9C12.5,7.6,12.1,7.4,11.7,7.4z\"\/>\n    <\/svg>\n  <\/div>\n  <span>1300 769 448<\/span><\/a><p> or complete our <button aria-label=\"Request a Callback\" class=\"bold red open-modal\">online enquiry<\/button> form today to set up an appointment with a computer repair technician<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everyone loves a bargain, and it can be very easy to score a superb discount shopping online, because it\u2019s easier to quickly compare prices, models&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":42013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[326],"tags":[245],"class_list":["post-42008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scams","tag-security"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42008"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44912,"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42008\/revisions\/44912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geeks2u.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}