Scams, and the con artists behind them, are forever evolving and becoming more sophisticated and harder to spot.
Australian Community Media has compiled a list of current scams identified by sites such as scamwatch.gov.au, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), which are dedicated to informing people about fraudulent and dishonest activities.
Scamwatch: Planning on doing your Christmas shopping online? Don’t fall victim to a scam
- People who are planning to shop online these holidays are being warned by Scamwatch.gov.au to be hypervigilant in avoiding scams.
- Scammers take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales by setting up fake online stores. Watch out for deals that are too good to be true.
- Scammers use the latest technology to set up fake retailer websites that look like genuine online retail stores. They may use sophisticated designs and layouts, possibly stolen logos, and even a ‘.com.au’ domain name and stolen Australian Business Number (ABN).
- Many of these websites offer luxury items such as popular brands of clothing, jewellery and electronics at very low prices. Sometimes you will receive the item you paid for but they will be fake, other times you will receive nothing at all.
- The biggest tip-off that a retail website is a scam is the method of payment. Scammers will often ask you to pay using a money order, pre-loaded money card, or wire transfer, but if you send your money this…
