class=”sc-29f61514-0 kHgAwW”>
Who doesn’t love to enjoy the benefits of online shopping? Simply order the product you are looking for from your mobile phone. A few days later the package is already in the mailbox. At least in ideal condition.
Unfortunately, there are more and more fake online stores – or other shops that don’t keep their word. At Blick, more and more readers are reporting who loses money this way. Blick tells you what to watch out for:
Name and URL
It is best to take a closer look at the URL of the webshop. If it contains unusual additions such as “.ch.com”, that’s a warning sign. It is also important to have “https://” in front of it. “s” stands for a secure connection. The little padlock to the left of the URL can also be an indicator.
oppression
A stamp is mandatory in Switzerland. This should include both the first and last name or full name of the company. A postal address and an e-mail address must also be provided. If one of these details or even the entire print is missing, this is a warning signal.
Conditions
General Terms and Conditions (GTC) are agreements between the company and the customer. Therefore, it is worth taking a look at the general terms and conditions. If you do not agree with this, it is better not to order anything. Even if the terms and conditions are completely missing.
payment options
If you can only pay upfront, that’s also a bad sign. This means that the item will not be shipped until the company receives the payment. There is a risk that the online store will keep the money but never send the goods.
Sometimes fake shops offer multiple payment options. In the end only one works.
reviews
It is always worth searching the online store and looking at the reviews. Either on Google itself or on “trustpilot.com” for example. If there are too many bad reviews, stay away!
Price:%s
If prices are noticeably low, caution is advised. After all, low prices attract customers, as do high price cuts. Of course, this does not mean that all cheap offers are fake. However, it is useful to look at market prices. You may prefer to order a little more goods from a well-known online store.
Detection tools
There are now AI-powered tools that help identify fake online stores. Like the fake store locator of the German consumer information center North Rhine-Westphalia (KRV). In Austria there is a similar tool, Fakeshop-Detector. In Switzerland, consumers can report suspicious online stores to the National Cyber Security Centre.
It is important to say that buying online always involves a certain risk. Even if you look carefully, you can fall into a trap. Because fake online stores are getting smarter and smarter. This is also a warning sign if the website has a large number of typos.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
