Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we are confined in our homes, and our dependency on e-commerce websites has increased. Many of us purchase items from daily needs to luxurious products online, considering it to be safe and convenient. However, as customers, we must be cautious about fraudulent websites that exploit our dependency and helplessness to purchase online amid pandemic.
Recently, several people saw an advertisement on their social media feeds, claiming to be that of Flipkart. The advertisement lured customers to purchase an iPhone 11 Pro at a giveaway price of Rs 4999. Displaying it in the garb of ‘limited offer’, the advertisements looked extremely genuine and real.
Soon after a social media user clicked on the click, he was directed to a website similar or a cloned website, that of Flipkart. The website- then asked for the customer’s address and payment options.
Looking at the cloned website selling the latest iPhone, that costs over a lakh rupees, at just Rs 4,999 can prima facie looks tempting and unrealistic. However, The Logical Indian could not independently verify if the website is real or a fake one.
Most often, such websites like these show up as advertisement, or sometimes in your inbox.
One way to be assured of the veracity of the website is to take a look at the URL, which is unique for every website. A website like ‘flipkart.com’ or ‘amazon.in’ won’t redirect you to a different website than the original.
However, sometimes scammers get around this by using subdomains to trick customers and lure them with cheap offers.
Similar rules apply to emails where we often get links that re-direct us to cloned websites with exciting offers. It is always safe to check the sender before you download attachments or click on links within emails.
Such instances require the original websites to report and take down the cloned ones that attract customers based on affordable offers and illegal means. It also demands social media websites and emails to make sure they give no room to such phishing attacks or allow imposter links to run ads on their websites or platforms. Flipkart has put out a story on its website where it has warned customers against bogus websites that use a similar domain names.
The Logical Indian Take
Whenever we purchase any product online, we put out our sensitive details- address, date of birth, payment details and much more. These details can often be used against us or threaten our security online if it is caught in a phishing scam. Hence, it is extremely important to be sure of the websites where we give out our information.
Many imposter websites and links are currently active on our emails and several social media platforms, trapping several customers and compromise our sensitive data.
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