Many users have fallen for scams when buying online, and these tips can help you avoid the traps of cybercriminals.
In Spain many people have already suffered the problem of falling into scams on the internet, and Online shopping is one of the favorite areas of cybercriminals to set these traps for users. This is a time when it is not suspected that a website asks for payment and address information, and this is what is taken advantage of to steal users’ data and even money.
There are many ways for this to happen, as it is possible create websites that imitate those of clothing brands, for example, to try to charge the buyer for something that will never be shipped; or those websites that, without pretending to be another store, make excessive offers to capture the interest of users.
In any case, when buying online, if you are not in a well-known store such as Amazon, El Corte Inglés or PcComponentes, It is best to be careful and be thorough. when checking if the website in front of us is trustworthy or not.
Don’t trust offers that are too good
Nobody gives anything away on the internet, just as it happens in physical stores. Many of the criminals They use great offers as a lure to attract users who, to save a few euros, may fall into this deception. After all, it is normal, since everyone tries to find the best price when making a purchase.
In this case, false promotions on devices that are generally quite expensive are used as a lure. It is not common for scams to hide behind products that cost just over 100 euros, since these are more accessible. On the other hand, an offer on the Apple iPhone and high-end Android phones can be more attractive for any user.
In any case, when the discount compared to the original price is equal to or greater than 70% on a relatively recent and quite expensive product, it is best to be suspicious and try to confirm suspicions about said offer. The same thing happens in those products that appear with a very inflated price, but that have later been reduced.
Check the reliability of the store
In general, this type of deception usually occurs in little-known stores or those that have even been created specifically for this purpose, and verifying if it is a website that can be trusted can put an end to the scam attempt in the first instance. . He National Cybersecurity Institute offers some tips that are of great help to know if an online business is trustworthy. It is not advisable to make a purchase in a store that does not provide company information, such as the CIF, if it does not have a section with the terms and conditions of the purchase, with good writing, or if there are no comments or references from the store by other users in any forum or social network.
The National Police has also warned about the proliferation of scams using the store cloning method. This consists of creating an imitation of a known business so that the buyer makes any purchase without realizing that it is not the original site. The order will never arrive, and the process to get the money back can be slightly frustrating.
In these cases, the fake store is usually accessed through a link, either from an advertisement or from another website. To verify that it is the same store, you must view the URL and compare it with that of the original store. Some fraudulent websites already use the HTTPS protocol, so it is not enough to check that the padlock is next to the web address.
If you can, do not pay by card
After having suffered scams when buying online, some users comment in specialized forums that their bank has put them certain problems when trying to recover the money for having paid by card and having authorized the payment, either from the bank’s application or through an SMS.
That is why, if the store is not reliable, paying by card is always a bad option. In fact, if it’s a scam, it’s probably the only method you’ll accept. This is another reason to distrust said store, since the most normal thing is that several options are offered.
If you have any doubts about the site you are buying from, it is best to look for other alternatives that are reliable. However, if the purchase is still going to be carried out, It is important not to pay by card, but to use an alternative method, such as PayPal, which boasts excellent buyer protection.
