Scammers are out in force and we are all targets. Four simple rules to follow and not get caught.

As we all spend more and more of our time working from home, we are inevitably spending more time online. We are becoming more and more accepting of online meetings, online collaboration tools and other cloud-based applications. We do our shopping online, order goods and services online and even get our dinners delivered by placing online orders.

Our credit cards are getting a great workout as we build up kilos in our domicile isolation.

Online shopping is a good thing, but there are unscrupulous individuals who are also building their online businesses with the sole aim of scamming people. Taking your money and deliver nothing in return. We, therefore, need to elevate our knowledge, savviness and awareness when shopping online.

There are three main methods that scammer’s use to reach people:

1. Advertisements/Fake Websites.

2. Email

3. Telephone

There has been a lot of media coverage discussing Email and Telephone scamming, so I am not going to focus on these today, however, I do want to elaborate on scam advertising, promotions and fake websites and give you FOUR STEPS to follow in avoiding being scammed.

Advertising, Promotions and Fake Websites.

Scammers range from a lone-wolf individual with a computer to big businesses operating within our borders and offshore. They create professionally looking, compelling promotions that are advertised in all the same places where normal legitimate ads appear. They advertise on Facebook, eBay, Youtube, Instagram, Gumtree, write compelling blogs and infomercials. They range from “one in a lifetime investment offers”, “great deals on bitcoin”, “a car that I need to sell urgently because I need the money” to other lower value purchases.

The key traits of all such ads and promotions are:

• They look real and legitimate

• They seem to offer unbelievable value

• There is a push to act quickly

• They only offer contact via email or chat

If you do end up purchasing through these ads you will get NOTHING. These ads are purely designed to take your money and give you nothing in return. So what should you watch out for, how do you identify these fake ad scammers and what steps could you use to avoid being scammed?

Step 1 – Does the seller have prior activity?

See if the seller has previous reviews or a high star rating? Search the sellers name / company name in google and see what comes up.

If the seller has no prior activity – you should ring the first alarm bell.

Step 2 – Can you speak to them?

Is there a phone number you can call the seller on? If so call them, talk to them, ask them questions and see if they are a legitimate seller.

If you can only reach the seller by email or chat – you should ring the second alarm bell.

Step 3 – Is the deal to good to be true?

Take a step back and think logically about their offer. Is it too good to be true? I know it’s a cliché, but it is absolutely valid, if it’s too good to be true, it’s not. Sometimes it is hard to make a logical assessment when you are emotionally excited about the opportunity. In that case, simply ask a family member, a friend or a work colleague – they will give you an honest opinion. Don't rush in.

So the third test, if it is too good to be true – ring the third alarm bell.

Step 4 – Payment method.

Some credit card facilities and payment intermediaries like PayPal offer some good protection for consumers, whereby purchases can be annulled and refunded shortly after purchase. Direct bank transfers do not offer such protection, they are more or less immediate. When you transfer money from your bank account to someone else’s bank account, the payment is made, there is no recovery, there is no protection, there is no one to call. Before making a payment you should make sure that the goods you are buying or service performed are to your satisfaction.

Ring alarm bell 4 if you can only make payments via direct debit.

Ring alarm bell 5 if you can only make payments via direct debit before you get the goods or the service.

So, my rule of avoiding scammers is simple,

if you have accumulated more than 2 alarm bells don’t do it, buy somewhere else.

Do not waste your money, because if you proceed that is exactly what you will be doing – wasting your money and in some cases even compromising your identity and online security.

Help me get the message out there if you have been scammed or know someone who has, share the story in the comments below and share with your network. The more people that we educate in safe online shopping practices, the safer our ‘new norm’ of consuming becomes.