Digital technology simplifies many things, including meeting the needs of our daily lives. In the past, you had to go to the market, supermarket or mall to shop. Now, while sitting comfortably at home, you can go shopping. As long as you have a cell phone and internet connection, you can indulge in online shopping.
Unfortunately, people’s penchant for online shopping is often taken advantage of by irresponsible parties. If you pay attention, online shopping scams are no longer something new to you. There are more and more fraudulent online shops, especially on social media.
As a Jagoan, you must be good at recognizing the characteristics of a fraudulent online shop, so as not to be deceived.
What are the Characteristics of a Fake Online Shop?
1. Offering prices that are far from reasonable
Super cheap prices or super big discounts tempt a lot of people. This tendency is taken advantage of by fraudsters disguised as online shops.
Because of the amazingly low prices, buyers often make payments immediately without thinking. Once the money was transferred, you suddenly cannot contact the online shop and never receive the product.
2. Taking advantage of a situation or public unrest
The last example is the COVID-19 pandemic, with cases increasing every day. An emergency situation like this creates unrest in the community.
Instead of being concerned, fraudulent online shops are taking advantage. Without mercy, they choose to deceive COVID-19 patients and their families. There are online stores that offer drugs and oxygen cylinders whose stock is very limited.
Many buyers don’t think twice about buying the medical supplies because they urgently need them. Just like point 1, after transferring a large amount of money, buyers never receive what they bought. Even though the seller has given me proof of delivery, it turns out that this proof of delivery is fake.
3. Suspicious testimonials
Testimonials can boost a company’s reputation. However, you should be suspicious if the testimonials displayed do not seem normal. What does that mean?
If you see testimonials that are either full of flowery words or too general. But, the testimonials have no detailed explanation or the customers do not elaborate on their experience of using the product. Also, when the testimonials look similar to one another or uniform, even though they are composed of quite different words.
4. People cannot comment on the products
If online product sellers don’t have a purpose of deceiving, they will definitely be happy if many satisfied customers comment on their products.
However, this is not the case with fake online shops. They actually don’t want negative comments from previous victims, so comments are disabled.
Tips from Jago so You Don’t Become a Victim of Online Shopping Scams
So that you don’t get fooled, you can follow some tips from Jago below:
- Even though big discounts or super cheap prices sound very attractive, you should not immediately get carried away by emotions. Think again whether those discounts or prices even make sense.
- Always be aware of people on social media and instant messaging applications who offer products to you directly. Maybe they are looking for a victim.
- It is advisable to shop online on a reputable platform because usually the platform has done their due diligence.
- Look at reviews and feedback from previous buyers and make sure they look genuine.
- It is advisable to read through the policies regarding returns and refunds before shopping and transferring money.
- You must be vigilant when a seller asks for full or large payments upfront, then after the money is transferred, the seller becomes difficult to contact. If you suspect that you have become a
- victim of online shopping scam, immediately report it to the police. Then, also report to the bank.
Convenient Online Shopping Starts with Having a Jago Account
If you want to shop online, you definitely need to top up your e-Wallet balance first, right? If you shop frequently, your balance will drain quickly and you’ll have to top it up all the time.
If you have a Jago account, you can forever forget about top-ups. How so? Because Jago has an auto payment feature to top up your e-Wallet. Another cool thing is that you don’t need to spend money on top-up admin fees. The higher your Account Level is, the bigger the quota of free top-ups that you can enjoy.
See below for a guide on how to top up your e-Wallet.
- Go to Pay & Send in the Home page.
- Choose New Contact.
- Choose e-Wallet.
- Choose which e-Wallet that you want to top up.
- Enter your e-Wallet number or choose from your phonebook, click Check, then Choose Next.
- Check the validity of the recipient, then tap Next.
- Input the amount and Choose Next.
- Review the top up summary, then Choose Top Up Now.
- Enter your password so the transaction can be processed.
