The online scams pose a growing threat to online sellers. The explosion of e-commerce — which increased by as much as 10 percentage points during the COVID-19 pandemic for many product categories — has brought with it new opportunities, but also new potential risks, even for those who are about to sell products and services online. Fraudsters have become increasingly skilled at exploiting the vulnerabilities of users, not only online shoppers, but also sellers themselves. These scams can take different forms: from identity theft to payment hijacking, through sophisticated “fraud schemes” based on phishing and theft of credit card codes. In this article, we will look at some of the main dangers for those who have an e-commerce, how to sell online without being scammed and how to defend yourself.
How Online Store Scams Work
Scams targeting online retailers can be particularly insidious and take many forms. One scam that is gaining traction in the United States, as documented in an article in Fox Newsconcerns themisuse of virtual numberslike the ones you can create with Google Voicea service made available by Google, which allows you to create virtual telephone numbers linked to real numbers (currently only available in the United States, as stated in the official description of the application on the Play Store).
Although seemingly harmless, this tool can be exploited by scammers to steal someone’s identity and hijack important communications. To put it simply, the scam basically works like this: a potential buyer (aka the scammer), contacts his potential victim and with an excuse asks to confirm the identity by sending him a Google Voice verification code. If the code in question is actually provided to him, The scammer creates a virtual number linked to the real phone number of his new victim. This number, being under the full control of the scammer, can be used to receive security codes or other confidential information about the victim.
The main risk is that, through this virtual number, the scammer can intercept verification codes sent by banks or payment platforms. In this way, it could authorize fraudulent transactions or, if you want, it could also change passwords for various accounts of the victim who fell into the trap.
Now, while it is true that Google Voice is not available in Italy, it is also true that the scheme in question can easily be replicated with other similar technologies, such as services for obtaining VoIP numbers, messaging apps and the like.
Another possible scam to the detriment of online sellers is the one that exploits the so-called chargeback fraud (or, in Italian, “chargeback fraud”). As the name of this practice suggests, the scam is perpetrated when a customer (fictitious or real) purchases a product, pays by credit card and, after receiving it, request a refund from your credit institutionperhaps justifying it by saying that the transaction was not authorized or that they did not receive the item. If the credit institution were to actually accept the customer’s request, the seller would not only lose the product (which clearly would not be returned by the scammer), but would also suffer financial damage from the latter.
How to Protect Yourself from Internet Scams
For Protect yourself from Internet scamsfirst of all we must keep your attention constantly highas cybercriminals exploit the naivety and inexperience of users to trap them with their traps. This applies not only to those who buy online, but also to those who sell.
To go into more detail about defensive strategies, if you have an online store we suggest you Do not share verification codes with anyone (including WhatsApp six-digit codes) or other personal data with strangers, even if they seem like serious buyers. Providing such information could result in losing your account login and give scammers control over important communications about your accounts.
Another method to defend yourself is enable two-factor authentication or 2FA on all platforms that support it and that are used both in your online business and in your personal life. Two-factor authentication adds an additional level of security, as it requires the use of a form of verification in addition to the “simple” password. In this way, even if a scammer were to unfortunately manage to obtain your passwords, he will not be able to access your accounts without the second verification code (which you obviously should not send them, as we have already specified in the previous paragraph).
Additionally, to prevent chargeback fraud, it is advisable carefully document every transaction, retain proof of shipment And use secure payment platforms (like PayPal), which also offer protection tools for sellers.
Generally speaking, then, Beware of unusual or out of the ordinary requests. If a buyer asks you to communicate outside of the platform where you listed your product, perhaps via email or messaging apps, this could be a red flag that you should not ignore. Likewise, be wary of anyone who offers unconventional payment methods or tries to pressure you into closing the “deal” quickly.
