At first glance, the shops look legitimate, but if you take a closer look, you will uncover the fraud.

In order to attract as many users as possible, pictures with addresses to fake shops are circulating on Facebook. The fraudsters use headlines like “Cyber ​​Monday Sale (90% OFF)” to lure users into a trap.

We recommend not buying from these shops. If all products are offered up to 90% cheaper, something is wrong.

This is what the bait used on Facebook looks like. The names of well-known companies are being misused, there is a short link about this:

Screenshot by mimikama.org
Screenshot by mimikama.org

This is how you recognize one of these fake shops:

No contact address
Always check first whether there is a proper legal notice or contact details. If the shop only offers a contact form and there is no other reference to the seller - stay away!

A reputable dealer has nothing to hide. Especially not his name!

Whois query
With a Whois query (in German: “Who is”) you can see who created the page and how long it has existed. Creators of such fake shop pages like to keep their identity secret (see point 1) and use an anonymization service to do this.

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The origin also often indicates a dubious dealer. A shop that gives the impression of being a German company and is identified via the Whois query as being from China should be viewed with suspicion. If the retailer is not transparent, you should think twice about buying something there.

Another important feature can be determined using the Whois query: the creation date.

If a shop is only a few days or weeks old and is already throwing out all of its products at half price, this is another clear indication that there is fraud behind it. Especially if the creator is located in a distant foreign country or even allows himself to be anonymized.

The online presence
Reputable shops often manage several social channels in order to be able to offer their products as widely as possible. Fake shop operators also want to give this impression by often integrating buttons for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. on the site.

However, if a user tries to click on these buttons, it quickly becomes clear that they are just images that are not linked. Sometimes the buttons simply lead to the main page of the corresponding social media channel.

Payment options
At reputable online shops you can pay with PayPal and sometimes by surname in addition to bank debits and credit card payments. In any case, you have a choice HOW you want to pay.

Many fake shops mislead the user by listing different payment methods on the main page. However, in the end you can only pay by credit card. The meaning behind it: Debits by bank and PayPal can be withdrawn, but this is more difficult with credit cards.

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In addition, credit card data is extremely valuable for fraudsters and is only too happy to use it to make purchases at the user's expense or to resell the data on the dark web.

Tip: If you have paid with your credit card at a fake shop, you should contact your credit card company as soon as possible and have the card blocked.

Conclusion

Always check the shop you want to buy from online first. Be careful not to pay hastily with your credit card and don't let yourself be blinded by cheap offers.

If you have doubts or your gut feeling tells you that something is wrong: believe yourself! Stay away from it and compare the prices with trustworthy platforms or the original providers. The product may be more expensive here, but you are guaranteed to get it. With fake shops you always run the risk of losing your money completely or receiving inferior goods that are fake.

You might also be interested in: Fake shops: No delivery despite advance payment


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )