The pandemic-induced lockdowns brought about an increase in online cashless transactions. However, not all transactions are created equal and secure. Even in respected e-commerce sites like Shopee and Lazada, there are fraudulent merchants that try to take your payment outside the security of the e-commerce platform.
To ensure you have a secure online shopping experience, here are some best practices for spotting and avoiding fraudulent merchants.
Check the store’s reputation
If you want to practice safe online shopping, the best option is to buy from endorsed and trusted stores on the e-commerce platforms. On Shopee, trusted stores have a Shopee Mall label, while on Lazada, it’s LazMall.
According to both e-commerce sites, Shopee Mall and LazMall are the one-stop destinations for customers who want the assurance of buying 100% authentic branded products. If the products are proven to be fake, they offer money-back guarantees and hassle-free returns.
Shopee also has the "Preferred" label, which is used to promote trustworthy and reputable sellers with a proven track record on the platform. Shopee only rewards the label to sellers who have demonstrated a good history of quality products and shopper reviews. To identify these sellers, look for the orange "Preferred Seller" tag attached to their names.
Read customer reviews and testimonials
When you’re online shopping, one of the best practices is to look out for the store's reputation by reading customer reviews. Many fake stores are typically new with hardly any ratings or reviews.
In most cases, past buyers would leave a comment with photos or videos of the products, satisfied or not. You can also spot fake products if the photos uploaded by customers look different from the photos posted by the seller.
For secure online shopping, buy from established sellers who are at least one year old and with a substantial number of positive reviews.
Contact the merchants
If you are still doubtful after checking out the shop, you can always chat with the seller to get more information about them or their product. Most trustworthy sellers are helpful and respond quickly.
If the seller doesn't reply to your questions, there's a good chance they can just be an online scammer.
Never pay outside the e-commerce site
Spotting an online scammer can be as easy as finding out their preferred mode of payment.
As a general reminder, e-commerce sites will never ask you to deposit money or send cash to a remittance center or a personal bank account. The e-commerce sites and its trusted sellers will only accept payments done and completed through the checkout page.
For your online shopping security, watch out for these scams:
- Advance payment scam. If your mode of payment is cash-on-delivery (COD), fraudulent merchants will ask for a payment in advance (either in partial or full) before they ship your order.
- Phishing scam. Scammers will carefully design emails to look like they came from the e-commerce site. If you receive emails asking for passwords, direct payments, or other confidential information, such as your credit card or bank account details, report it immediately to the e-commerce site. Do not share your personal information.
E-commerce sites do not guarantee the validity and security of transactions done outside the app or website.
You deserve a safe online shopping experience
For secure online shopping, make sure to complete monetary transactions only inside the e-commerce app.
You can easily top up your virtual wallets in your preferred e-commerce site by connecting it with the Metrobank Mobile Banking app. Download the app today and enroll your Metrobank accounts for hassle-free cashless transactions. You can also use bank transfer as a convenient payment option.