Paying for goods and services on the Internet is convenient, but risky. To avoid getting caught, you need to know the main signs of a “scam” and the most common fraud schemes, be able to find real reviews online and check legal information (TIN, OGRN). However, no one is immune from unpleasant situations: everyone can lose vigilance, succumb to emotions and hope for chance.
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C.O.D
Many fans of online shopping calm down when they see that they can pay for the goods upon receipt at the post office. However, it is worth considering the fact that you can see the contents of the parcel only after it has been paid for. Many unscrupulous owners of online stores take advantage of this, sending items of poor quality or completely different items instead of ordered goods.
It is quite difficult to catch such violators, since such sites are created for a short period of time and are deleted after collecting a certain amount. In this case, you will not be able to hold anyone accountable.
The only way out in such a situation is to refuse to receive the goods. You may not come to the post office, and if you do not pick up the parcel within a month, it will be sent back, and the scammer will be forced to pay for storage and double delivery.
Some attackers, if buyers do not pick up the parcel, call them with threats to immediately receive the goods, otherwise they will be forced to contact the tax service. In fact, no normal store will do this, so you should not pay attention to such calls. If the demands of the “sellers” come too often, threaten them in response with contacting the appropriate authorities.
What to do if Rospotrebnadzor did not help in solving the problem
Based on the results of the internal investigation, Rospotrebnadzor is obliged to inform the applicant. However, contacting this authority does not always pay off - a deceived buyer may receive information about the impossibility of recovering the money spent and holding the online store accountable.
It is not recommended to leave the situation unresolved, because in the future other consumers may suffer from similar actions of stores conducting illegal activities. In addition, it is necessary to return the lost money, because often we are talking about serious amounts. Both public and private authorities can be involved in the proceedings.
Court
Litigation is a procedure that often involves additional costs on the part of the plaintiff. If the result is positive, the defendant is obliged to reimburse not only the cost of the goods, but also the money spent on litigation.
In order to file a lawsuit against an online store, you must correctly draw up an application. A sample of it can be found by contacting court staff or specialized lawyers. It is imperative to prepare evidence of fraud.
Note!
If the judge sides with the defendant, the online store will not return the money or pay compensation.
Consumer Protection Society
This structure provides assistance to buyers who are faced with unlawful actions of trading organizations in Russia. The work of the Society is not free. However, statistics of successful cases related to illegal actions of online stores show that the costs of assistance from the Company’s specialists are well worth the costs.
This applies to situations in which the subject of a dispute is an expensive purchase or the buyer has a difficult life situation due to problems with the product. The Company’s specialists involve various authorities in their work, achieving a positive decision, which is not always possible to achieve by contacting Rospotrebnadzor or the police.
Hosting owner
A rather controversial approach, the effectiveness of which does not always justify the time spent. However, it is still necessary to contact the owners of hosting sites that host problematic online stores.
Even if the deceived buyer cannot achieve justice, the assistance of the hosting administration will help obtain the necessary information about the persons responsible for the operation of the store. In the future, this information can be used when contacting the police, Rospotrebnadzor or OZPP.
If there is significant evidence of fraud provided by the applicant, the hosting administration can independently contact the previously noted authorities in order to deal with the scammers. In many situations, strong evidence also helps to achieve blocking of an online store, which will serve as a kind of punishment for its owner and protect other buyers from problems.
Super offers
Quite often you come across advertisements about 99% discounts and sales for 1 ruble due to liquidation. Most often, the objects of such discounts are the latest models of famous smartphones, clothing and cosmetics of popular brands.
If you decide to buy yourself a phone with a 100% discount, you will not spend money on the purchase. But then you need to pay for delivery, which in fact will not happen . Beware of such “bargain” offers.
Social network pages
Many scammers do not spend time developing an “official” website, but simply create a group or page on one of the well-known social networks where they post photos of “products.”
When a potential buyer sees activity in the form of regularly updated posts and a large audience, he develops trust. However, it is worth considering that the subscribers in this case are fake pages, and reviews, as a rule, are written for money.
After the attacker receives the required amount from trusting users, he will delete the page.
How to avoid becoming a victim of online fraud
If you see the product you need at an attractive price on a little-known website, do not rush to buy it. The following signs will help you identify an unreliable online store:
- Simple website design . If the page has inconvenient navigation and the site overall looks unpleasant, most likely the owner skimped on its development. Or the page was created for a short time.
- Official registration . All licensed stores have a legal address. If it is not listed on the site you find, or false information is written, then this store is a fake.
- Feedback . Well-known online stores offer high-quality and polite service. If your calls are not answered or the site does not provide any feedback information, you should not make a purchase on it.
How to get money back for a purchase in an online store if you were scammed?
The first thing to do if you suspect fraud on the part of the seller is to write a letter to the store’s support service with a complaint. You can send it to the legal address, which must be indicated in the contact information. If you have not found such information, send a letter to any mailbox listed on the site.
If there is no response, you should contact one of the following authorities:
- Law enforcement agencies (if funds were obtained through fraud).
- Consumer Protection Department (if you received a product of inadequate quality).
You can also take steps to get your money back yourself. To do this, you need to contact the bank with a request to cancel the transaction. It is advisable to do this as quickly as possible.
In your application, describe the situation in detail and be sure to attach to it a receipt or other proof of the payment, as well as the details by which the funds were transferred to the fraudster.
In addition to bank cards, electronic money systems are used to pay for online purchases. The most popular are:
- Webmoney;
- Qiwi;
- Pay Pall;
- Yandex money.
You can return funds if they were transferred from an electronic wallet. To do this, you will need to contact the service support team and provide the attacker’s payment information to which you transferred the money.
Which authority should I contact to file a complaint?
It should be taken into account that the conflict situation arose against the background of the purchase of goods. Accordingly, you should complain to Rospotrebnadzor, a service whose powers include protecting consumer rights.
Document submission procedure
In order to understand the conflict situation, the consumer will have to do the work of searching for information related to the online store and submitting a complaint to the authorities. Required actions include the following:
- Finding the legal address and correct name of the company that owns the online store.
- Direct contact to Rospotrebnadzor for initial consultation and further filing of a complaint.
- Drawing up a claim in which it is necessary to describe the problem as accurately and in detail as possible.
- Submitting a claim to Rospotrebnadzor in person or by registered mail.
It is important to find out to whom the case of the defrauded buyer is transferred. It is quite possible that as events unfold, additional evidence will arise that needs to be handed over to Rospotrebnadzor employees.
How to file a complaint against an online store?
If you nevertheless become a victim of fraud by an online store, contact law enforcement agencies. You can write a statement to the police department to which you belong at your place of residence. You can also write a statement directly to the regional department “K”, which investigates cases related to Internet fraud.
Drawing up a complaint
In the application you will write, you will need to indicate:
- The address of the website where you made the purchase.
- Bank details or electronic wallet number to which the funds were transferred.
- Nick or the name of the scammer that he used on the social network (as well as a link to it).
If you have any other data (phone number, email address, etc.), be sure to report this information to law enforcement agencies. This will help you find the criminal faster.
When filing a complaint, you must also provide the necessary personal information.
Where to go to complain if you were deceived in an online store
First of all, you need to contact the administration of the online store or social network where the purchase was made. It is necessary to provide evidence of fraud: indicate the time of purchase and provide copies of payment documents (a check from a terminal, data from a payment system or online banking will do). However, the buyer has no guarantee that such a complaint will not be ignored by the administration.
A defrauded buyer can visit the nearest police station and file a fraud report. Law enforcement officials are required to accept the complaint and forward it to a separate unit. You can speed up the proceedings by independently submitting an application to this department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The initial request must contain the following information:
- web address of the site where the product was purchased;
- available information about the seller (often it is posted in the relevant sections on the website);
- if the payment was transferred to an electronic wallet - the number and other data provided by the payment system;
- if the purchase was made through mobile banking - the bank card number or phone number to which the transfer was made.
Additionally, a defrauded buyer can contact the system through which the payment was made, demanding that the fraudster’s account be blocked. In addition, through the payment system you can find out more detailed information about the account owner if the defrauded buyer proves the fact of illegal actions. If the victim managed to complete these actions before contacting the police, then the information received must also be provided along with the statement. Z
Note!
Assistance to law enforcement agencies is an opportunity to speed up the resolution of the problem.
