How to recognize a fraudulent buyer in an online store: 8 true stories

Many people are still afraid that ordering products from the Internet is dangerous: they will cheat, not deliver or bring the wrong size. If they knew how many cheaters lurk among customers! In this article we will tell you about the most common fraud schemes and ways to protect yourself to the owners of online stores.

Why do scammers do it?

It is clear why they need it: to get your goods and keep your money. Some of the fraudsters are ordinary people who are fooling around, just in case it works, as well as seasoned professionals who have cheated numerous online stores. There is even a blacklist database of unscrupulous buyers black-base.

For each unscrupulous client is entered information: a description of the problem, the losses of the online store, contact information. Remove the data from the site can be done in one way: to pay off the material damage.

Story 1. I won't pay!

The customer chooses a product and orders a courier delivery. When the courier delivers the order, the man goes into denial: I have no money, I will not pay.

Who is practicing? Short-sighted people who do not understand what they are counting on: it is clear that for the pretty eyes no one will give you the goods.

How to fight? Ask for advance payment.

Frankly, it's not cheating at all - just stupidity and negligence. The following methods are much more subtle and insidious.

Story 2. Paying not the full amount

Also a common method, which implies criminal intent. Someone B.A. ordered an expensive phone in an online store. Payment was supposed to be made after the delivery of the goods by courier. The courier left for the specified address, but literally five minutes before his arrival, B.A. called him and asked him not to come up to the apartment. His explanation was simple: the entrance was being repaired, it was dirty, and the intercom did not work, so I'd better go downstairs. The courier did not suspect anything wrong and agreed.

B.A. took a wad of money out of his pocket and handed it to the courier, who gave him a box with a phone in return. When the courier started counting it, it turned out that several hundred dollars were missing. B.A. started apologizing and complaining about his inattention, asked for the bundle of bills back and pretended to have deposited the bills there. The courier believed him and left, and when he arrived at the office it turned out that several hundred dollars were still missing. Needless to say, the client's phone number was no longer answered, and it was impossible to locate the apartment: the house was multi-story.

Who practiced this? Tricksters who are famous for their sleight of hand.

How to fight back? To count the money first, and then to put the order in his hands. Do not agree to meetings at porches, unlit unfamiliar areas and other dubious places. Sometimes you can even get your head kicked in!

Story 3. Switching of goods

Most frequently such a scheme is used by swindlers when buying clothing and accessories. Sara seemed a generous customer: She put eight items in her cart - several dresses, pants, a sweater, and a couple of handbags. Sending the courier to collect the money, the store owner anticipated excellent profits, but that's not how it turned out.

The courier brought the ordered goods to the cheater's apartment, and she retired to her bedroom to try them on. She came back disappointed: not a single item did not fit, scolded the courier, handed him the boxes and literally threw out the door. Back at the office it turned out that the returned boxes were not brand new dresses and bags, but a shabby-looking piece of junk of a swindler. When the irritated courier came back, the apartment was closed: Sara took it for a couple of hours and disappeared.

Who is practicing? Tricksters who want to get the things they like for free.

How to fight back? Carefully check the contents of the boxes.

Story 4. Swapping for cheap replicas

The previous scheme has another option: the new items are not replaced with the old, but with the same new, but... much cheaper items. The trick is that even checking the boxes, the courier may not see the difference. This requires a detailed understanding of the assortment of online store to spot a fake in time.

Who is practicing? Experienced crooks who prepare for the crime long in advance: they pick up things similar to those ordered, only several times cheaper.

How to fight it? Oblige the courier to study the range of online store to distinguish branded things from the replica. Alternatively, you can introduce your own system of marks: for example, put a sign on the label of the online store. One glance will be enough to understand whether you are being returned an original or a pathetic fake.

Story 5. I demand a discount!

Nothing foretold trouble: A large online home goods store received an order for a set of bed linens. The customer chose the goods, studied the characteristics in the description, agreed to the terms and placed the order. The linen came by Delivery Company - the woman paid for it without any problems, but the next day she started a real war against the online store. She started complaining to her email address: what did you bring me, the quality was horrible, and I am not going to sleep on such linens! The manager's phone was red-hot: the furious customer demanded a 50% discount, a full refund, or a lifetime subscription.

Otherwise she threatened to sue everyone and send complaints to the government, and the president for reliability. At the same time she was not satisfied with a simple product replacement: the lady was only interested in the money side of the issue. It was clear that under the guise of fighting for quality, the woman banal wanted to get freebies.

Who does it? Meticulous people, nerds, chicanes. They tend to have a lot of experience in litigation: they sue for anything.

How do you fight it? It's a tricky case. First, litigation is always dangerous for the reputation of the store - even if the court sided with you, there will remain an unpleasant residue. As in the anecdote: whether he stole or was stolen, but they had some unpleasant history.

Secondly, publicity is also undesirable. The social networks are now available to everyone, and somebody can write a complaint. People believe what is written, and if the post suddenly goes viral - the resonance can damage the reputation of the online store. Even if the truth is on your side.

So what to do? Sadly, you may still have to give the pimp the coveted discount and permanently blacklist him. Alas, it is unlikely that you will be able to protect yourself from such pimps forever: at the ordering stage they successfully masquerade as ordinary customers.

Story 6. Nothing came for me!

Probably every online store has encountered this type of fraud: the customer orders a product, chooses delivery or a transportation company and... after a while complains that the order has not been delivered. You contact the post office or logistics company, they swear that everything was delivered on time or is about to arrive in place. Meanwhile, the customer is ranting and raving, accusing you of all the mortal sins.

Another option is that the item was indeed delayed in transit, all the deadlines have long passed, and you as an honest person make a refund. And then it turns out that the package was delivered with a delay, but the buyer decided not to tell you about it. As a result, he is left with the purchase, and with the money.

Who is practicing this? Dishonest people, who think that the online store will not get rich if they pay the price of the goods. Petty crooks, thieves - they can be in cahoots with the employees of the post office. That is, they receive the goods, but do not sign for receipt. As a result, it is as if the goods are not at the post office, and the buyer. In fact, the latter has been using it for a long time.

How to fight? Keep track of the tracks and the location of the parcel yourself, and be in contact with the shipping companies and the post office so that if a conflict arises, you can quickly resolve the issue.

Story 7. Invoice forgery

This is how the online store was deceived: unknown fraudsters placed an ad on the site for the sale of expensive items at half price and started waiting for the buyer. The buyer turned up at once, which is not surprising, and asked the sellers for a bill. The sellers, also scammers, turned to online store, inventing a legend: they allegedly selected goods from them for the same amount and asked for the bill.

The online store invoiced them, and the work began: the fraudsters changed the name of the product, the contact details of the store, but the price and details remained the same. As a result the buyer had no idea he was being cheated. He transferred money, believing he was buying the cheapest item on the ad site. The scammers insured themselves: they contacted online store on behalf of the buyer and asked if the money had arrived. The money came, and the online store sent the goods to the address specified without a shadow of a doubt. The result - soon both the buyer and the online store discovered the deception, but the scammers were no longer found.

Who is practicing? Experienced criminals, who are able to develop a complex multi-way.

How to fight back? Check, check, and check again. In online store found a way out: now the goods there are given only on presentation of a passport.

Story 8. I don't fit!

Some customers order things, put them on a couple of times and... return them. The reason for return, as a rule, is the following: allegedly the size did not fit. In fact, everything fit perfectly, once the thing has already been put on. Return of used goods is called wardrobing. Most often with similar faced with the owners of online clothing stores.

Who practices it? Freeloaders who want to use the thing for free.

How to fight? When ordering take as a rule, personally contact the buyer and clarify whether the size, color, or other characteristics. Tell them that the conversation is being recorded for security purposes. Also, think through the rules of return in your online store, by which you accept the goods back: not just on the word of honor, but with formalities. This could be filling out a return form, providing contact information, perhaps even a percentage for the return.

Don't worry that customers won't accept such terms: they will only reassure an honest person, but they may scare away crooks.

There are other ways to cheat:

Fake order: fraudsters place an order and call the courier. When he arrives at the place and leaves the service car, the criminals steal his car; theft, robbery: a fake order is made for a large sum, and then the courier is simply robbed.

Who is practicing? Criminals who cry in jail.

How do we fight it? If the goods are really valuable, for such a delivery is better to send two couriers to insure. Also strengthen security: install good locks and alarms on the cars, introduce a ban on the storage of expensive things in the car. And of course, contact the police!

How to recognize a cheater?

Pay attention to the behavior of the person. You may be alerted to such calls as:

• the client long specifies the composition and characteristics of the goods;

• or does not specify at all - as if it does not matter to him at all;

• often changes the composition of the order;

• the client wonders whether the courier will arrive alone;

• makes an appointment in a suspicious place;

• the card or account belongs to another person.

We hope you won't fall for the swindler and won't be cheated.