Infested with scammers

While scrolling through your Facebook news feed, you noticed an advertisement for a product wedged between a picture of your relative and a meme from a friend. You recognized the product from a previous Google search and realized that you could potentially save a significant amount of money compared to your usual online retailers. Despite this temptation, your cybersecurity knowledge kicked in, and you refrained from clicking on the post. Surprisingly, the same advertisement reappeared in your news feed the next day and even the day after that. The advertisement became increasingly persuasive with each view, and you even came across promotions for reputable brands. If you had been impressed, you might have clicked on it out of curiosity after seeing it multiple times. Despite being tempted to order based on the images, you were extremely cautious this time, having heard so much about internet fraud. In a cautious move, you opted to avoid purchasing products using online transactions from an untrustworthy website. Given the risk of non-delivery and the possibility of your card information being shared with an unreliable source, you wisely chose to use the "cash-on-delivery" option. An SMS confirmed your order and a delivery agent called a few days later to deliver the product and confirm the delivery address. Upon receiving the product, you remained vigilant and aware of the risks associated with online shopping. You exercised your due diligence and carefully inspected the item upon delivery. It quickly became apparent that you had been given the wrong product. When you brought this to the attention of the delivery agent, they advised you to make use of the site's return policy since that was where you had originally made the purchase. However, the delivery agent persisted in requesting payment. As you had opted for the cash-on-delivery option, you handed over the money, which turned out to be your first mistake in this transaction. But, with your sharp intellect, you were able to detect the scent of deception and were determined to retrieve your money. Accordingly, you reached out to the customer service number provided by the online shop. The customer service representative assured you that the wrong product would be collected from your address within a few hours and that you would be required to fill out a form, justifying the return of your product. Your previous experience with these processes on a reputable shopping website helped to put you at ease. Having completed these procedures, you were confident that the refund would be credited to your account, just as it had been with other trustworthy online retailers in the past. After submitting the cancellation form, you received a call from customer support, inquiring about the UPI mobile number where you wished to receive the refund and the latter also inquired as to whether you had WhatsApp set up on the same UPI number. You shared your UPI mobile number with the agent and confirmed that you had WhatsApp installed on the same number. The agent then requested that you download a file to that WhatsApp number. You made the second and final mistake of clicking on the file and downloading it, resulting in your entire mobile device being compromised.

Do you really think someone will show up at your doorstep to collect the wrong product? Will the refund really be credited to your UPI account? And what about your compromised mobile device? I believe you already know the answer to these questions.

Escalation of fraudulent activities in online shopping

Users browsing Facebook stumble upon discounted product ads in their news feeds, only to receive a worthless trinket upon making a purchase. What's worse, these fraudulent activities are not the work of a lone small-time offender. Many of these scams appear to be part of highly organized and efficient international operations, taking advantage of the lack of regulation on social media marketplaces and the surge in inexperienced online buyers.

Scammers launch fake online stores

After clicking on a Facebook scam link, you'll be directed to a website that appears to be legitimate. A clean grid displays a variety of discounted items, and at the bottom of the page are the logos for popular payment gateways. However, the "About Us" page is a major authenticity fraud, featuring the well-known phrase. Google searches for this phrase return thousands of hits. To make matters worse, several websites provide a 14-day free trial without the need for a credit card, which scammers use to open stores, close them after 14 days, and open new ones.

Scammers steal product images

Scammers steal product images from reputable brands, which have no involvement in the scams, yet are inundated with numerous bewildered and angry customers, all seeking refunds.

Scammers inundate social networking sites

Scammers can make a substantial profit by simply waiting for customers to search for their fake businesses online. However, social media advertising, particularly on Facebook, provides a much broader audience than this passive approach. As a result of this trend, Facebook has become the primary source of income for scammers.

Challenge to trace the money flows

Most transactions are sent directly to fraudulent websites, which often use a different payment gateway, so customers are usually not redirected to Facebook during the actual transaction. Scam investigators have found that many of these scams are linked to businesses overseas, where loose government regulations allow shady shell companies to be set up for a small fee.

Fight against scammers continues

Investigation agencies face a significant challenge in investigating and prosecuting these scams due to their global reach. Without prompt and coordinated cooperation between national and international law enforcement agencies, the problem will only continue to escalate. It's essential to look for reputable sellers with a history of positive reviews and to carefully review their return and refund policies. Be cautious of products that seem too good to be true or are significantly cheaper than other sellers' offerings. It's up to individual victims to fight back against these scams until a broader change occurs.

The writer is an HoD and Assistant Professor of Dept of Computer Sc & Electronics, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira. Views expressed are personal