The internet has
made shopping and booking very easy. You can sit in the comfort of your room to
buy or book anything. The consequence of the shopping ease is that many popular
retail or eCommerce websites have been cloned. This is done in a bid to swindle
unsuspecting persons of their hard earned money. If you are are not careful, you
will fall for this because the fake and original websites are very similar.
Travel highlights ways you can spot a fake eCommerce website.
The URL
is suspicious
The URL of eCommerce websites is very simple and easy to
remember. When the URL is complicated and different from the usual website you
are familiar with, it is a red flag.
There is an obvious language
barrier
Quite a number of sites have language options to cater for
different markets and region. However, if there is a language barrier and you do
not understand what is written, it is a cause for concern. In addition, if there
are so many spelling mistakes and the translation is poor, just move on. It is
probably cloned.
The brand selection makes no sense
Does a
site’s brand list sound more like a random mix of popular names? Counterfeit
sites thrive on confusing people who want what is popular. So, be very
careful.
Questionable contact information
Any serious
eCommerce business will have an email in their name and not a Gmail or
Hotmail.
Unclear refund policy
For most websites, refund
policies are very clear. You just call their customer care number and make a
complaint that you do not want the product anymore. They will send a courier to
pick up the item and your money will be refunded. If the opposite is the case,
do not make purchases on that website.
The prices are too good to be
true
Clearly, many people love cheap offers. However, when the offer
appears too fantastic and you know the particular product can never be available
at the price, it is a sign that they just want to grab your attention with the
price. For example, 80% off a N50,000 product. It’s too incredible to be true!
