Beware of fake online shops!
Have you just seen your favourite clothing brand being sold online at an unbelievable price? Beware of this bargain!
Description of the fraud
After searching for new shoes, you finally find a pair from your favourite brand and at a good price – but the site is based in another country. It seems like a great deal though, so you purchase them. The dream deal quickly descends into a nightmare: your purchase isn’t delivered, it’s defective, or it’s counterfeit. And what’s worse is that the seller has become completely unresponsive. Finally, you also notice that the website has gone offline. It was a “fake shop”, or a fake online store.
What is a “fake shop”?
Most often it is a website that uses a URL domain resembling the official domain of the brand. It could also have a URL domain which has nothing to do with the products being sold, or the addresses of old hotels, restaurants, trade unions, or other public bodies.
Methods used
- In the case of clothing, the name of a brand is usually followed by a qualifier: ‘cheap’, ‘reduced price’, ‘discount’, ‘massive sale’ etc.
- When it comes to electronic products, the vast majority of fake shops have adopted a name that is extremely descriptive or derived from a major brand, unlike authorized distributors in this field. For example, these sites will often include the suffix ‘tech’ or ‘techno’ in their names.
- You should also be on the lookout for bogus travel agencies, which are on the rise and offer attractive packages at low prices.
- Scams selling basic medical products have also been on the rise since COVID-19. Be aware that the online sale of medicine in France is regulated. For more information, see our article on buying medicines.
Contact with the Internet user
- Consumers generally find these websites via search engines and, most commonly, social media.
- They are sometimes well referenced on the first page or highlighted in advertising banners.
- Contact can generally only be made via an online form: there is no e-email address or telephone number in the terms and conditions of sale or in the legal notice.
Advice to avoid the fraud:
- Check forums on the Internet! Other consumers may be concerned and have already shared their experiences. Make sure you distinguish between false positive reviews left by the seller themself.
- Check the domain name via WHOIS or national official domain name registries such as AFNIC (for domain names ending in “.fr”) to determine who registered the website and when. Compare the name with the one mentioned on the website itself.
- Look at the URL and be wary if it does not correspond to the types of products shown. Also look at the description or snippet of the website found under the website's link in the search engine. The snippet usually provides a brief description of the brand. A counterfeit website's snippet usually shows a series of product names followed by words like "cheap", "free delivery", "savings", "women", "men", or a price reduction. These words correspond to the keywords consumers would type into a search engine when shopping for these products.
- Ensure that the website is secure: if it is, the URL will begin with https:// and will also show a green lock, particularly on the payment pages. However, be careful: fraudulent websites can also be secure!
- Read the Terms and Conditions. If there aren’t any, or if they are very short or written in broken language, leave the site immediately!
- Verify the price of the product you want on multiple sites and, most importantly, on the official brand’s website. If the price is considerably lower, be suspicious!
- Look on the official brand’s website to check for a list of counterfeit sellers: as of recent, many brands verify resellers.
- Check if the seller is a company or a private individual. This is important for protections that you may or may not benefit from. In dealing with a private individual, your protections are diminished.
- To judge the reliability of the seller, no matter whether it’s a company or private individual, you can always check its “seller profile” to consult reviews from other consumers.
- If only one payment method is offered, or if it’s a wire transfer or via a third party, go away! Favour payment by card. Moreover, wire transfers are irreversible.
What should you do if you have already paid?
If you have paid by bank card, ask your bank or credit card issuer what you are able to do and what guarantees you have. Try to request a refund for your order such as chargeback.
Check whether the seller is a professional or a private individual. This is important for the rights you may or may not benefit from. If the seller is a private individual, you will have less protection.
To judge the seriousness of the seller, whether a professional or a private individual, you can visit their ‘seller’ profile to consult the ratings they have received and the comments/opinions of other users.
If you have been put in touch with the seller by another intermediary site, contact that site’s customer service department.
File a police report.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.