Fake online stores and how to spot them

Fake online stores fool people into buying what looks like branded goods or goods that do not exist at all. Here the AnyTech365 experts provide you with 7 tips for spotting fake online stores.
The market for scams and fake online stores is growing. Many scammers buy domain names that end on .com or .dk or .co.uk and so on to appear more credible in the eyes of consumers.

In general, it is a good idea to think about what first-hand impression you get from the online store before you put items in the shopping cart and go to the checkout page. Are there language errors? Are branded products being sold at unrealisticly low prices? Does the company behind the online store have a physical address? Do they have contact information listed? Do they have a company id number? If not, well then maybe it’s a fake online store.

Keep in mind that even if you spot language errors or see that the online store does not have a physical address, it is not necessarily a scam. You may also come across a scam shop where the language is written perfectly. What you need to be aware of is therefore a combination of several different pitfalls. As you can see in the screenshot below (although it is in Danish) the site is not secure, prices looks weird and any Danish person can for sure tell you, that so many things here are spelled horribly wrong!

Here are 7 good tips for spotting fake online stores

1. Pay attention to the language: You are looking at a fake online store whose page is filled with misspellings and obvious grammatical errors. Especially foreign fraudsters tend to translate the text through automatic translation services. You may also come across sentences where languages are mixed together, which makes the sentences even more meaningless.

2. Spot the low and strange prices: One thing you can also look for is low and strange prices. If the prices are something like $1,462.72 or DKK 189,1 there is a good reason to pay extra attention. Check if the low and strange prices are used all over the store.

3. Check the company contact information: Look for online store contact information. Who’s behind the store? Is there a phone number, address, email address, tax number, etc.? On many fake online stores, this information is non-existent and if you can’t find it, you should be wary. In most countries you can lookup the Tax registration number, use such tool to make sure there are no scammers behind the site.

4. Keep an eye out for cheap branded products: Many fake online shops are characterized by selling cheap branded goods. You should sceptical of finding a Louis Vuitton bag with a 70-80% discount. If prices are low, there is a high likelihood that these are copied itemes or items that do not exist at all. Check out price comparison sites to get an idea of a products price level or on the brands official website.

5. Check user reviews: You can check user reviews on sites such as www.trustpilot.com before you make your purchase online. At Trustpilot you can see buying experiences and reviews from other users who would like to help you make a decision before buying. User reviews are becoming more common nowadays and here you will most often get a clue as to whether the site is real or not.

6. Look for the e-mark or something similar: Before you shop, it is a good idea to look for the e-brand, for secure internet commerce. All e-branded online stores are controlled by the e-commerce fund and here you can always get help if you need it, a fake online shop would not have an e-mark. The e-tag has a search feature where you can check if a webshop is e-tagged or if it is registered as a scam.

7. Pay by payment card: It is always a good idea to pay online with payment cards. If you do not receive your order, because you bought it through a fake online shop, the bank can help you cancel the payment. Another advice is to consider an additional security layer, such as Verified by Visa or Mastercard SecureCode when paying with your credit cards online. Here you need to enter an extra code before the payment can be processed.

We hope you are now keeping a lookout for any fake online stops by following our 7 tips to spot them. You may also like to read about How the Microsoft phone scam works, very interesting read indeed.