7 Tricks To Avoid E-Commerce Scams

E-commerce is trending much more than ever. People worldwide spend billions of dollars every year on online shopping. But while we enjoy the ease of buying from home, scammers are also finding ways to draw people into their nests. Statista said people lost around 44 billion dollars to online payment fraud in 2024. That's a big number. 

With fraudsters getting smarter day by day, it's easy to fall for e-commerce scams these days. However, with some intelligent tricks, it's much easier to avoid getting caught by fraudsters who fool people in online shopping. What are those practices? Well, ensure you read this article until the end, as we will share 7 simple yet effective ways to help you stay safe. So, let's get started. 

1. Identify & Ignore Phishing Attempts

Phishing is one of the most common scams in e-commerce. It involves sending fake messages or emails to shoppers in the name of legitimate companies. The main objective of this fraudulent attempt is usually to compel you to click a link, navigate to an online form or site, and reveal your sensitive data there.

So, whenever someone asks you to click a URL within a message or email, be alert. Why? Because it could be a phishing attempt. Instead of clicking links, identify other signs that confirm that you are under a phishing attack. These signs could be 

• Strange email address.
• Mismatched URLs.
• Poorly formatted message.
• A sense of urgency.
• Unexpected attachments.
• Misspelled domains.

Along with that, a phishing message might have grammatical errors. So, if you find most of these signs, never interact with such emails.

2. Check If The Website Is Secure

Another tactic e-commerce scammers use to fool people is creating fake stores on the internet. Many people, especially those who don't verify the authenticity of shopping websites, fall victim to scams conducted by such stores. 

If you want to avoid being drawn into the traps of such fraudsters, make sure you check if the site you are going to buy from is real or fake.

• Look for "https" and a padlock icon in the browser bar.
• Avoid websites that start with just "http."
• Check for small spelling errors in the URL.
• Read the full website address carefully.
• Only shop on websites you know and trust.

Remember, a little time invested in source verification can save you from losing your money. 

3. Verify Seller Profile Before Purchasing

Nowadays, many e-commerce sellers are on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. Since social commerce is trending these days, many scammers are creating fake profiles to capitalize on this growing market. 

That's why whenever you purchase from social channels, remember to verify the seller profile first. Otherwise, you might engage with phony sellers and lose your money. 

• Read the seller's reviews from past buyers.
• Check how long the account has been active.
• Avoid profiles with no history or strange usernames.
• Check if the verified badge is present or not. 

In addition to these measures, conduct an instant visual search for the profile image of the seller account using an image search. With this trick, you can find matching images from various websites, including social sites. If you see the same profile on different accounts, especially on the same social site, you are most likely interacting with a fake account. 

4. See If The Product Is Legit Or Counterfeit

Selling counterfeit products is at its peak nowadays. E-commerce fraudsters create cheap copies of legit items and sell them, calling them real. Purchasing such items not only wastes your money but also sometimes proves harmful, as these products could be unsafe. 

So, before buying anything, especially from new sites,

• Compare prices with the brand's official site.
• Watch for super-low prices, as they're often fake.
• Look closely at product photos and descriptions.
• Ask the seller for more pictures or details.
• Check if the brand lists authorized sellers.

Remember, It's not worth saving a little money to get scammed. So, you must verify a product before buying it. 

5. Avoid Sellers With Unusual Payment Options

Sometimes, a clear sign of an e-commerce scam could be a requirement for an unusual payment option. Yes, you heard that right. Instead of asking you to pay via credit card, a seller may require you to transfer payment using a less common method. 

Once you send the money through such methods, you never get it back again. To avoid such scams, 

• Never pay with gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto.
• Use credit cards or PayPal for buyer protection.
• Avoid sellers who ask to take the deal offline.
• Stick to official payment methods on the website.
• Don't send money to personal accounts.

By considering these guidelines, you ensure that you pay for a product, not a scam. 

6. Never Click Pop-Ups When Visiting A Site

Have you noticed unusual ads popping up on your screen when visiting an online store? If so, keep in mind that this could be a big sign of an online scam. While many legit e-commerce platforms use pop-ups, if you see them used excessively, they could be dangerous most of the time. 

Clicking them can take you to scam sites or install harmful software on your device. Therefore, 

• Avoid e-stores with too many pop-ups.
• Close any pop-up without interacting with it.
• Block pop-ups using browser settings.
• Leave the site immediately if you hit it by chance.

By avoiding interacting with pop-ups on a shopping website, you can avoid falling into the trap of scammers. 

7. Don't Shop If Things Don't Make Sense

Sometimes, trusting your gut can save you from falling victim to an e-commerce scam. You don't need to have fancy tools or advanced solutions to spot and ignore a shopping scam. Instead, your common sense should be strong enough to guide you when buying things online.

If things feel unusual, phoney, or completely out of order, don't buy. It's better to miss out on a deal than to fall for a scam. Therefore, 

• Be careful with weird site designs or missing information.
• Check for a working return policy and contact page.
• Watch out for bad spelling or fake reviews.
• Don't shop if prices look too good to be true.
• Avoid websites that feel messy or strange.

Thinking, "Does this feel right?" can save you from regretting a scam. 

To Sum Up

We hope that you have gone through all 7 e-commerce scam prevention practices. Now that you know what and how to avoid it, we hope that you will keep yourself safe from falling victim to online shopping scams.