How to protect yourself from online fraud & scammers?

So, the other day my wife was doing some comparisons on some of our new stock items with other pet suppliers (as you do) and she came across another website selling our Smiley Myley items on their website, including our Smiley Myley paw balm which I make myself by hand, here in Dorset sporting the Smiley Myley Logo, and my rope lead collection which I also make myself!!

This was a fake website called smileymyleys.shop - and this was obviously a scam website apparently based in the USA and all they have done is added the letter 's' on the end of the Smiley Myley part of this fake website, but obviously they were offering Smiley Myley branded products and anyone making a purchase with them would never receive their items and it would be our 'Name' and reputation on the line.. Not only that, but they named themselves as 'Authentic Smiley Myley Pet Accessories!! The cheek of it!!

I just wanted to write a short blog to not only warn people about this scam website and to stay away from them, but also write down a few things to look out for while shopping online, and how to make sure you are buying from an original and safe website. Many of us have purchased from an online retailer, and most of them are probably from well known high street brands, and you do so without thinking. For example, we all go on Amazon and make our purchases without hesitation, because of the 'Trust' we have with this brand, 'Trust' that they take our money, and 'Trust' in their promise to deliver the goods when they say they will.

I am biased regarding online shops because I have had online stores for some years in one form or another - from an online bridal store selling bridal shoes, jewellery, petticoats to other websites selling wedding planning services, wedding celebrant services and many more in the past. So the question for many of you is 'How can I make sure I am buying online from a proper business?' Personally, I would hate it if you made a purchase online and you never receive the item you purchased because of some criminal organisation taking your hard earned money!!

There are many things to look out for, many of them are simple tail tale signs of a rogue website. But please do not be frightened of buying online, it is possible to stay safe if you know what to look for. 

But before you submit your payment details or personal information to a website, take a look at some of our tips below to avoid a scam website:

How to identify fake websites and avoid being scammed: 

Verify the Website's URL (this is their web address on the top bar of your page). Pay attention to the 'View Site Information' logo to the left of the website address. It looks like this:

      

This small icon is found in the address bar and tells you whether the traffic between you and the website is encrypted. If it is, that means information you send over the internet to the site, such as your password and your card details, are scrambled. That makes it very difficult for a hacker to view that information if they intercept it. When you click on the logo (try it on the next website you visit) it will give con you confirmation on the web address, and whether the connection is secure, what cookies and site data and even a section titled: About this page which will tell you more about the website.

Verify the website Contact Details: Legitimate platforms will have verifiable contact information. If in doubt, reach out using official communication channels. Any website that fails to offer a contact method and information on its geographic location is breaching consumer contract regulations. Don't trust it with your money or personal information, as you won't be able to reach anyone if there's a problem with your purchase.

Check Reviews. Check multiple review sites, and don't rely on star ratings alone - not even if a company has a five-star average rating. Dig a little deeper and read the comments in each review, asking yourself whether they really ring true. Do lots of the positive reviews seem overenthusiastic or lacking in facts? Do many of the comments follow a strikingly similar format or are they mostly posted by reviewers with newly registered accounts? If so, they might be fake.

Check for Spelling and Grammar Accuracy. While genuine retailers usually design their websites with great care and expense in order to set themselves apart from competitors, fake sites are often thrown together quickly with cheesy stock images and dummy or stolen text, with other crucial site elements missing.

Don't just zero in on the product or service you're interested in. Instead, have a proper nose around the site. Are there lots of spelling mistakes, pages with 'lorem ipsum' dummy text, or generic images that don't relate to what's being sold? All these signs are red flags that you should think twice about before shopping on that website.

Does the site have a privacy policy? This is a legal requirement, and if a site won't tell you how it's using your data, it doesn't deserve your data. Equally, does it have a returns policy? A real company should tell you how and where to return a faulty item. Scammers often copy their mission statements or 'about me' pages from other sites. Try copying such text from the suspect site and pasting it into Google to see if it's lifted verbatim from third parties.

Avoid Clicking Suspicious Links: Never click on links or download attachments from unknown emails or messages.

Take a look at the example below. (example and image taken from a Which? report) The page on the left is from a scam site and the page on the right is genuine. The copycat site uses the Gymshark logo and appears to sell Gymshark goods. However, Gymshark told us that it only sells direct to consumers, so anyone else claiming to sell it is a scammer. 

I do hope that the above proves to be useful to you, or even has been a good reminder to you on best practises while online. 

But please, if you follow the guidelines above and trust in your instinct, you will be able to enjoy your online shopping experience.

 

When we reported this scam website to the police, they followed up with the below information that I thought would be good to pass on to you.

How to protect yourself from application fraud:

Your personal information: Never respond to texts or emails that ask for your personal or financial details. Fraudsters can use this information to fraudulently open accounts in your name.

Online profiles: Think about what you're sharing online and who has access to it. Configure your privacy options, so that your posts are only accessible to the people you want to see them.

Shred it: Properly dispose of any personal or financial correspondence, such as bank statements, once you no longer need them.

What to do if you’ve been a victim of application fraud:

If you have made a payment: Inform your bank as soon as possible, they can help you prevent any further losses. Monitor your bank statements regularly for any unusual activity.

Identity theft: If you suspect your identity may have been stolen, you can check your credit rating quickly and easily online. You should do this every few months anyway, using a reputable service provider and follow up on any unexpected or suspicious results.

Unexpected correspondence: If you receive correspondence from a company, such as a bank, you haven’t previously registered with, contact them and find out why it was sent to you.

If you have any queries regarding this letter please visit www.actionfraud.police.uk/FAQ.

For more information on how to protect yourself from fraud and cyber crime, or to update your crime report, visit actionfraud.police.uk.

 

From the Team here at Smiley Myley (the one and only, original and authentic 'Smiley Myley' company)

 

   

www.smileymyley.co.uk