Global Crackdown on 37,000 Fake Shopping Sites
Ecommerce websites are all the rage around the world today, and millions of goods exchange hands over the festive season in particular. There are several popular sites that a majority of people prefer shopping over; however, some people also choose some relatively unknown sites due to bigger discounts or more enticing deals. This may not be such a great idea after all, keeping in mind the latest news that has come to light about a global crackdown by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit on more than 37,000 fake shopping websites across 27 countries.
These efforts were not taken in isolation and actively involved the assistance of local law enforcement agencies as well, notably Europol and Interpol were also involved. Most of the sites were discovered to be selling counterfeit goods and were then subsequently shut down due to their fraudulent nature. These efforts have been regularly undertaken by the HSI and this is the 6th year in a row of its operations.
Some of the popular and notable fake goods that were discovered to be sold by these fake shopping sites were as follows:
- Headphones and earphones
- Sports clothing and shoes
- Toiletries
- Mobile phones
- Consumer electronics
- Luxury goods
A lot of these sites used a simple method of lowering the prices of their products in order to entice users and trick them into making purchases over their fake portals. This also led to countless other cases of data theft, privacy violation and credit card fraud. You can read more about this global crackdown here.
7 Reliable Tips for Safe Online Shopping
In the meantime, whenever you decide to shop online, keep these 5 safety tips in mind and you’ll not have to worry about getting your safety or privacy compromised.
- Carefully read product reviews and site reviews before purchasing
- From an unknown site, always choose the Cash On Delivery (COD) option
- Keep a regular check on your bank statements and keep SMS updates ON
- Be aware that deals that appear too good to be true are usually fraudulent in nature
- Watch out for the HTTPS prefix and the lock symbol before making a purchase
- Don’t click on advertising links directly from emails that reach your inbox
- Keep a different card with limited account balance that you use only for online shopping
For more such safety tips to preserve your online privacy, read these 45 killer security tips.
25 Comments
Infinitas vezes que tive problemas! Espero ter chegado ao final.Obrigado p/ atenção.
Hi Jorge,
Thanks for writing in. Our support engineers would gladly help you with this issue you are facing with the serial number. Please visit https://bit.ly/QHSupport and click ‘Chat with Us’. You can also raise a ticket at https://bit.ly/Askus and we will get back to you at the earliest.
Regards,
Sir,
Once I have purchased ‘Quick heal total security’ from online ebay & being cheated.
Therefore, keep giving vital information for further help.
verry nice
I have been duped 5 times by such unscrupulous companies from chennai and bangalore.Even when it is cash on delivery, you are not sure if the product is the same as you wanted till you open it and see. By then it is too late .Then who can get the trouble to send it back and hope you will get the money back? India is known for its rope tricks. I have decided that i will prefer to buy from shop in the city and not on net.Even I was duped by a firm in bangalore who asked me to pay the amount first through bank for changes in incometax card and then the site went off saying that I was taking too much time to fill in forms. I never got the money back.
Sir,
Thanks for the info and keep up the good work. Your customers deserve
nothing less.
amazing
I had complaint from Quick Heal Team but now I feel satisfied as my updates are likely to be received after Total Security subscription renewal on 1st Dec.’15
Hello Mr.Bhattacharya. Could you tell a little more about the deal that you had with Ebay & got cheated ? Actually I really need to know as I regularly shop from Ebay & Amazon along with some other popular e-retailers. Till now I never experienced such unpleasant incident.
Hello Mr,Samar jit Sinha, I too used to purchase items online from eBay,I stopped it after that event. They told me to send back the fake item to the original seller hence I did the same but in my dismay, later on, eBay sent me another email to send the item to yet another name. I had already sent the item to the original seller & as required gave the photo- copy of courier service slip, & address of the seller, that too within specified date now was it possible for me to resend the same item to another name!I feel their second email was nothing but washing its hand from liability. that’s all and it is a clearly cheating. You are a lucky man & my wish to stay lucky.
Thanks.
Dear Mr. Bhattacharya
It is quite evident that you have been cheated by ebay by non conformation to their committment. Merely telling your story is though beneficial to all online customers but it would be more prudent to file a case with Consumer court as you might be having all evidences in black and white. It would bring justice not only to you but also deter such big companies from playing dirty tricks.
Thanks
Thanks for giving such news. It is highly regrettable that main line media is ignoring such news, which is in public interest.
Very helpful information. I like the idea of choosing only COD while shopping with lesser known sites. Well done!
Thanks for suggest…
Thanks for giving valuable tips but fake goods are selling in leading online sites like Amazon. I have a bad experience one month back.
super
Thanks for right information
IT IS AN FAKE SHOPPING WEBSITE, SO , FRIENDS DO NOT SHARE ANY INFORMATION HERE. IGNORE IT
thanks
i came to know that shopping on line is very dangerous if someone have to be carefully else he will be cheated.thank you quick heal for putting us true.
Super
Very good
I have urchased cctv camera from e bay but after 1 day use it got defective.But no replacement by e bay
How to prevent ransomware from locking my pc
Hi,
Please read our post https://blogs.quickheal.com/how-to-prevent-ransomware-from-locking-your-pc/
Regards,