Hello! I'm Shemhaza, the Guardian (Sentinel). Convenient online shopping has become an indispensable part of our lives, hasn't it? You can get what you want quickly, and it's delivered right to your home. It's truly a wonderful service. However, hidden within this convenience are malicious individuals who target our valuable money and personal information. Today, I'll discuss precautions to protect you and your family from online shopping scams, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
The Evolving Tactics of Fake Online Shopping Sites
Scammers create 'fake online shopping sites' that look exactly like legitimate stores, trying to deceive us. It's difficult to tell them apart just by appearance, which is a problem. Let's learn about their tactics.
- ▸① Be careful with the address (URL)! Even if it looks exactly like the real site's address, if you look closely, you might find numbers mixed in or slight differences in letters. They try to trick us with minor variations like 'amaz0n.com' or 'amazon1.com'.
- ▸② Unbelievable prices often hide a catch! Be wary of sites selling famous brand items at incredibly low prices, such as '70% off'. There's a risk of receiving counterfeit goods or no product at all.
- ▸③ Be cautious if the Japanese is strange! If the Japanese text on the site feels unnatural or odd in places, there's a high probability it's a fake site.
The Pitfalls of Dangerous Payment Scams
If you fall for a fake online shopping site, not only can your money be stolen, but your credit card information and personal data may also be compromised. It's especially important to be careful lately, as tactics exploiting new payment methods are on the rise.
- ▸① Exploiting the 'Send' function of '○○ Pay'! The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan recently issued a warning about fake online shopping sites that misuse the 'Send' function of code payment services to make customers pay for products to individual accounts. This function is for person-to-person transfers and is not used for payments to stores.
- ▸② Beware of scams disguised as refunds! You might receive a message saying, 'The item is out of stock, so we will issue a refund,' and be instructed to process the refund via ○○ Pay. Following these instructions can actually lead to you 'sending' money to the other party, and arrests have been made using this tactic.
- ▸③ Only bank transfers are requested! While it's common for legitimate sites to offer multiple payment methods like credit card payments, if you can only choose 'bank transfer' and the recipient is a 'personal name' instead of a company name, suspect fraud.
Checkpoints to Protect Yourself
To protect your valuable money and information, please make sure to check the following before online shopping.
- ✓Carefully check if the store's address (URL) is exactly the same as the real address you usually use, down to every character and number.
- ✓If you feel even slightly suspicious, such as 'famous brand items are unusually cheap' or 'the Japanese on the site is strange,' do not make a purchase immediately.
- ✓If the payment method requested is a 'transfer to a personal name' or the 'Send function of ○○ Pay' that you don't normally use, absolutely do not pay.
- ✓Do not casually click on links sent via email or SMS; always re-verify by searching on a reliable search engine or accessing the official site via your bookmarks.
- ✓Before entering personal or card information, check if the site supports SSL (HTTPS) and has a padlock icon (however, be aware that a padlock icon alone does not guarantee safety).
Where to Seek Help When in Trouble
If you think you might have fallen victim to an online shopping scam, don't suffer alone; seek advice immediately. If you have entered your credit card information, contact your card company immediately to have your card stopped. If you have transferred money, please consult the police. You can also use the police consultation hotline (#9110) or the Consumer Hotline (188). By talking to someone, you might be able to prevent further damage. Don't panic; act calmly.