Falling hook, line and sinker for online scams

 

Some Malaysians have fallen victim to Facebook pages claiming to sell fresh seafood online.

PETALING JAYA: Fearing the threat of Covid-19, Elaine (not her real name) has resorted to buying most of her basic necessities online from the comfort of her home.

Her latest purchase was seafood from a seller on Facebook. It was cheap, at under RM300. It was also a scam.

After she transferred the money, the seller cut all contact with her. “I sent them the payment receipt and they said they’d pack it and send me a tracking number, but they blocked my phone number the next day,” she said.

Elaine is one of many people who were taken for a ride by scammers on social media, especially during the movement control order (MCO).

“Now with MCO, I try not to go out. This page offered delivery and the prices were cheap, so it seemed like the most convenient option,” she told FMT.

When she realised that she had been scammed, Elaine took to the store’s Facebook page to complain about their services and warn other customers. But her comment was deleted by the page’s administrators.

“I haven’t made a police report yet, but there must be other people who also got scammed. Maybe losing a few hundred ringgit is not worth the hassle for them. But Chinese New Year is coming up and more people will surely fall for this,” she said.

Another victim, who wished to remain anonymous, told FMT that she first discovered such online seafood businesses through a targeted advertisement on Facebook.

While she only lost around RM100 to the store, the victim said she had learned her lesson to only buy from trusted sellers in the future.

“I believe they have a few other companies on Facebook under different names, but all using the same bank account. I don’t normally double check, and it didn’t feel suspicious because I used to make lots of online purchases,” she said.

FMT is withholding the names of both Facebook pages pending comments from its administrators.

Paul Selva Raj, chief executive officer for the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC), said many had turned to social media to sell items, especially those who had lost their jobs from the pandemic.

“Of course there are people on social media legitimately trying to earn a living, but as a consumer, one must be aware that there is always the risk of being cheated, not just for seafood but for any sort of things,” he said.

Paul urged those who have been scammed to always lodge a police report so the authorities were aware of the bank accounts being used by online fraud syndicates.

He added that consumers could check for “mule” accounts on the Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s website.

“When it comes to online transactions, we must be extra vigilant. This has been a persistent message over the last four or five years with the growing use of social media, but it is all the more relevant now.”

Meanwhile, Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) president Mohideen Abdul Kader said it was difficult for authorities to keep track of scams on social media, given its fast-paced nature.

“It is extremely difficult to monitor online businesses. Even on registered sites like Lazada or Shopee, people can still be scammed or misled, buying things of inferior quality,” he said.

Mohideen added that consumers could also report to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), but this process may take a long time. Instead, it is always better to learn to be technologically savvy in the long run, he said. - FMT