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How to Spot an Online Shopping Scam When You See One - Part 2

Updated: Dec 14, 2020

Anti Scamming Hakx From Sarah Peak, creator of "What I Bought Vs, What I Got" Part 2.


Did you know that thousands of people get scammed online daily? Did you know that alot of these scam sites operate on legitimate social media pages like Etsy and Facebook?

It is crazy that these scams can contine and for the most part unchallenged by these mega platforms but Sarah Peak and her team have commited to help people identify the scammers and avoid being anohter victim.


Please take a moment and help support their work HERE


Thanks for your contribution !


Here is part two of "How to Spot an Online Scam when You See One".


(starting form where the list left off at number 17)


17. A reverse image search turns up many more scam sites. If you're using Tin Eye (a reverse image search engine) check the date and look for the one that’s been up the longest. (Oftentimes, the photo is very old, signifying that it is unlikely for the item to still be in production.)


18. Fake reviews addressing every one of your fears (i.e., fast shipping, great quality, well made, perfect fit, great customer service, easy exchange, etc.), both on the site itself and on other review sites (especially Trustpilot). A genuine business will have a FB page with a reviews tab because they have nothing to hide.



19. The same person has written more than one review for the same item.


20. The dates on all of the reviews are the same.


21. Fake reviews also often say something like, “I get so many compliments when I wear it!”


22. Reviews have the same or nearly the same amount of 5 star reviews as they do 1 star reviews, with little in-between (scammers “fluff” the reviews, keeping the negatives even with the positives).


23. If there’s even ONE stolen photo, the site is a scam.


24. “Intellectual Property Rights” link at the bottom of the page or link to report stolen

intellectual property.

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25. The site is very new (check Whois.com).




26. The platform is Shopify (though Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, Wish, and even Etsy are also platform targets).


27. The site is lying about where they are based (if an address is provided, a quick internet search will show that other scam sites are using the exact same address or that it is an empty warehouse or a residential address).


28. Shipping information gives the time it will take to process your order, but not how long it

will take to arrive at your door.


29. If the shipping information does give arrival times, they are generally 14 to 20-something days (a sure sign that your item is being shipped from overseas, even when the site tells you it is based somewhere in your country).


Next Week continues here with "How to spot an Online Shopping Scam with Sarah Peak " Part 3


Please support WIBWIG as with the constant flow of scammers our work load is never ending!

SUPPORT OUR CAUSE HERE


(Anatomy of a scam page photos courtesy of Eugene Lin, a former admin at WIBWIG.)



Meet The Team

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Eva Wisenbeck

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Eva Wisenbeck is a Co-Presenter of LifeHakx & a Wellness Coach

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Mary Collins

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Mary Collins is the Creator and Presenter of LifeHakx Media.

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