7 Easy Ways to Spot Fake Products Online (And Avoid Getting Scammed)

It’s becoming much harder to spot fake products and scams online. As such, this is exposing people to financial loss or data breaches from cyber attacks. Luckily, there are tips you can use to protect yourself.

Many people fall for scams for several reasons. These include naivety, aura of business legitimacy, and due to persuasion techniques. Another reason is the desire to save, which makes people look for cheap products.

To add to that, scammers know people are willing to take risks if the returns are high. Thus, they’ll sign up for various product offers, which turn out to be fake. But by then, it’s too late.

Keep reading to learn how to spot fake products and avoid being scammed.

How to Spot Fake Products and Scams

No matter how smart you are, you can easily fall prey to scammers and counterfeiters. Thus, you need to take precautions so you don’t lose your money or personal information.

Here are seven tips for spotting fake online products as well as scammers:

1. Low Pricing

The most common sign of a scam or counterfeit items is absurdly low pricing. You’ll see steep discount offers, which are too good to be true. That’s the clue someone is about to con you.

Instead, make sure the company offering the discounts has a history of doing so. Make sure it also has a good reputation.

2. Check Online Reviews and Ratings

Online users help each other by posting product reviews and ratings. This empowers people to decide whether to buy items or not. Even so, scammers have a workaround.

Thus, be on the lookout for review posts that look similar. That’s because some companies pay reviewers to write only positive comments. Check also for bad grammar or for comments that are devoid of facts.

3. Fraudulent Websites

Criminals know how easy it is to sell counterfeit products through fraudulent websites. On the face, the site will look professional and credible. Yet, if you dig deeper, you’ll be in for a surprise.

As such, check whether the domain name matches the selling company. Ensure the site contains the name of the company and its contacts. Be cautious if they tell you to download software or other content as it may contain viruses.

Moreover, make sure the site starts with “https://”, which is secure. Also, avoid shopping sites that end with .net on their URL.

4. Poor-Quality Products

Don’t buy from unverified sellers even if they are on a platform you trust. They’ll probably be selling knockoff products. Make sure to buy authentic items from retailers like ssense.com.

Poor-quality products have obvious flaws. In other cases, compare them with the product features from the manufacturer. Also, confirm their country of origin to avoid buying a counterfeit.

5. Misspelled Brand Names

Another clue about knock-offs is they have fake brand names. For example, instead of “Gucci”, they’ll be selling “Guchi”. Pay attention so you don’t receive a fake item from the store.

6. Irregular Payment Requests

One thing about scammers is the pressure they put on you to send money. As such, be wary of their requests. Make sure you pay through credible services like PayPal. If they ask for a bank transfer payment, then it’s a scam.

7. Too Many Middlemen

Last, remember the job of a seller is to get the product to you quickly. Thus, if you have to go through several middlemen, then there’s a problem. The plan could be to get as much money from you as possible.

Ensure you pay only once for the product and any applicable shipping fees. Any other requests are suspect. Plus, make sure the seller offers refunds or replacements. That way, you’ll have a chance to get a real product.

Get More Tips on Security and Running Your Business

As you can see, there’s a lot involved in identifying fake products. Protect yourself by buying directly from the company you trust. Read reviews and lookout for low pricing or irregular payment requests. Also, avoid products with too many middlemen.

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