[Leon Della Bosca]

More often these days, scammers are hiding in plain sight, says the ACCC, which also warns of fraudsters impersonating well-recognised websites in Google search results

Scammers paying for a Google ad can have their scams concealed in the “sponsored links” section on Google search results.

The ACCC advises caution towards scam websites masquerading as reputed brands. Scamwatch encourages users to scrutinise the website address to confirm its authenticity.

“Prices that seem unbelievably low might be a tell-tale sign of a scam,” says Scamwatch.

In recent years, Australian consumers have lost massive amounts through online shopping scams. In 2023 alone, users are reported to have lost $3.7 million, an alarming figure in addition to the $9.2 million lost in 2022.

What can seem like authentic stores or profiles to sell popular or luxury items can easily be unscrupulous individuals offering products on counterfeit websites, popular store clones, or even seemingly legit social media profiles and platforms like Amazon.

To safeguard against these scams, Scamwatch suggests paying close attention to website URLs and looking for red flags. A conspicuous lack of contact information on a website can indicate a fraudulent site.

Are you vigilant against impersonation scams? Are there any you can warn our members about?

[FrankC]

There was a recent scam where you were told you had won $170 worh of tools in kit form from Bunnings.. I ‘phoned Bunnings and was told it is a scam. Then I looked at the URL, it was a mismatch of letters and numbers, so it was obviously a scam. Should have looked there first, but as a member of Bunnings workshop group, thought I would look at it. I usually check the URLs of these type of ads.

[Author]

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