Retail Website Scam ExampleThis article takes a look at a shopping retail website that actually is a scam website, to let you see first hand what to look out for.One of the most prolific types of scam online is also one of the easiest to fall for, and that is online wholesale and retail scams that claim to sell cheap goods online like electronics and simply steal your money when you pay and do not deliver the goods. In this article we will provide a case study of one specific site that scams people and will highlight the common attributes that scam sites like this comprise of, so next time you will be able to see the red flags before it is too late and keep your money safely in your wallet where it belongs.The website we will use in our little case study is a completely typical scam site called www.ehereb.com. If the site is still running by the time you are reading this then you are welcome to take a look at it, just do not buy anything from it! Now most people buy goods from online sites that - - are reputable, like Amazon.com - they have been recommended to by a friend (in person) - are from businesses that they know and trust However many bargain hunters come across sites that have great deals yet they do not know anything about the website. The site isn't well known, and they do not know anybody who has used the site with success, and this is where the danger lies. So if you come across a site like this, what is the first thing you do? The first step we recommend is getting some background information on the domain itself. Scam sites like this typically do not get shut down very fast, but it is not long before they start to get negative press, meaning the scammers who operate these sites rarely actively run them for more than several months. This means finding out when the domain name was registered can be a good sign when deciding if a site is a scam or not. The easiest way to do this is looking at the WHOIS database, which is a public database which contains various information on every domain name in the world. You cannot avoid having certain information in this database. We use the following address to access the WHOIS database - www.whois.domaintools.com - when you visit that site you will be asked to enter the domain name you want information on, and upon using our case study domain ehereb.com (omit the www.) we are presented with its information. Click on the Registration tab and you can see from the image below that the domain was registered in April 2010. This article was written in June 2010, so that means the domain is 2 months old. That is a VERY new domain and it is unwise to do business with domains this new, especially if they are asking you to hand over money.  We recommend being sceptical of any domain that is less that 12-18 months old. Of course there are other red flags you should be aware of on the actual site itself. Usually we start at the About Us section or something similar which will give a brief outline of the company and their history. Most of these scam sites will have one. The About Us page is below, and here we spot further giveaways.  Firstly, and most obviously may be the poor grammar and spelling. Sites like this often originate from non-English speaking countries, and a high percentage of these scams originate from certain notoriously prolific scamming districts in China. The spelling in this example is not too bad as the scammers have operated a spell checker, but there are many sentences that don't sound right, and some obvious grammatical mistakes as well. Secondly, the address given is a Chinese address. It would be harsh and unfair to assume that this automatically means you should be sceptical as there are legitimate online resellers that operate from China, but it is a fact that many of these scams do originate from China. A more obvious giveaway however is that despite claiming to be from China, there is no where on the site that provides a Chinese version of the website. The website is only available in English. This is a popular giveaway, since the scammers mainly target Europe and America, and have no need for a version of their site in the native language. Thirdly, the MSN address given is a Hotmail address. All reputable companies would not consider using a free web based email like Hotmail. Fourthly, another sign that is often a giveaway in the About Us section is how long the site claims they have been operating. In our case study the site clearly claims it was launched in 2009. Remember however the WHOIS information told a different story and informed us the domain was only registered in April 2010. Now we take a look at the payment options. This is the main giveaway in our opinion as it outlines how the company plans on getting your money. Upon selecting our product from the site and proceeding to the cashier, it is clear that the site now wants us to pay either by bank transfer or money wire service like Western Union or MoneyGram. These are NOT secure forms of payment.  Money wire services are designed to transfer money to people that you know. Any reputable company would not require you pay using this method. You should only pay via your credit or debit card through an accredited merchant, as this way if anything goes awry you can issue a chargeback and get your money back. Never use Western Union or Moneygram or any money order or bank wire transfer, unless you personally know the person you are sending the money to. Finally, do not get suckered in by unrealistic prices. Everyone is looking for a bargain, but as the price goes down, the chances you are being scammed goes up. |
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||
