Learn how to protect yourself from scams on online buying and selling platforms

High inflation, low digital education and social engineering make the perfect sum for scams and fraud on internet buying and selling platforms to happen more often.

In general, these cases involve popular and high value-added products, such as home appliances and technology. OLX’s June AllowMe survey found that smartphones led the most fraudulent products in e-commerce from January to May 2022.

The estimated loss was around R$ 62.9 million. Scams with cell phones, mostly iPhones, represent 39% in the period, followed by video games (19%) and computers (13%).

According to Sérgio Almeida, professor of Behavioral Economics at USP, the high inflation scenario encourages the emergence of fraud.

According to him, the dispersion and the increase in prices make people dedicate themselves more to the search for attractive offers, and end up paying less attention to the details of purchases.

In Brazil, inflation closed the year 2021 at 10.06%, according to data from the IPCA (Broad Consumer Price Index), from the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

“The scammers see this influx of people desperate for cheaper products, who have become easy prey. They are so seduced by the idea of ​​economics that they fall for these scams,” Almeida said.

The scam of confirmed purchase, or false payment, led the ranking of the most applied frauds in the first months of this year, with 67% of cases, according to the survey.

In this category, the fraudster sends a fake proof of payment with the victim’s data via email or messaging app. With this, the person understands that the amount has already been deposited and sends the sale proceeds. But when the seller realizes that there was no payment, the false buyer already has the product and stops responding to messages.

In the second most popular scam, fake ad, the fraudster creates an ad for a product whose price is about 14% cheaper than the market average. Imagining it to be a real offer, the victim makes the payment and does not receive the product.

But such scams are not restricted to C2C (consumer to consumer) platforms, such as OLX, Enjoei and the Facebook and Instagram marketplaces.

The study also indicates that there has been a proliferation of fake shopping sites, which advertise to attract buyers by offering new products below the market price. In addition, Aleoesp (Association of Official Auctioneers of the State of São Paulo) warns of the existence of 2,113 fake auction sites.

In addition to the lower price, these sites highlight that there are few units of the product and the offer will only be available for a few hours or minutes, creating a sense of urgency in the consumer. This encourages impulsive buying and quick payment, but in these cases, the product does not ship.

For Maristela Calazans, vice president of product at OLX, the digitalization promoted by the pandemic created an influx of people with low digital education in ecommerce.

“Due to the pandemic, many people who did not make digital transactions began to do so. As it is a natural learning process, those who did not have this type of knowledge were entering the market. This generates an appetite for the fraudster, who knows they will have vulnerable people and take advantage of it”, he said.

For Calazans, users should pay attention to some signs when shopping online. Engaging in ads with prices that are out of line with the market average, doing business outside monitored platforms and sharing personal data are the main mistakes made.

Understand how to protect yourself from the main blows:

Confirmed purchase:

• Only deliver or send the product after confirmation of payment in your bank account or digital wallet. Keep the conversation going through platform chats and avoid trading through messaging apps. Be wary of messages or emails that simulate official company announcements. Check the email domain (xx@companyname) and trade status on the company’s website or app.

False ad:

• Prioritize negotiating directly through platforms that have the option to pay and receive the value and shipping of the product. When choosing to trade directly, only make the payment after receiving the product. Be wary of prices far below market values ​​and, when you notice suspicious attitudes, report it to the service of the platforms.

fake websites

• Research the virtual store and check for complaints from other users on sites such as Procon and Reclame Aqui. Be wary of very low prices, since the values ​​are usually similar from one store to another. Check the website address and domain, which may have subtle differences compared to real websites.

Fake auctions:

• Check if the auctioneer is registered with the Boards of Trade and participate in audited platforms, which bring more security to complete the sales process. Never make deposits or payments to anyone who is not on the registered official auctioneer’s CPF.