Payment platform Visa lists 10 tips that can help people stay safe when shopping online
Abdul Hadi, an Iranian expat living in Al Nahda, Sharjah wanted to buy a vacuum cleaner worth over Dh500. While browsing the Internet, his wife happened to see an advertisement for the same vacuum at 50 percent off. They immediately ordered the product — but when it arrived, they were shocked.
“It was delivered after a week, and what we got in the parcel was nothing worth Dh500 — not even the Dh250 that I paid. They sent a vacuum cleaner that costs only Dh30 in the market,” said Hadi.
He said the website was no longer accessible when they checked after a few days.
Hadi wasn’t the only one. Cyber scams usually hit a peak around the holiday season when many people are on the lookout for online deals and smart gifting ideas, according to a study done by payment platform Visa. Every year, thousands of people across the world fall victim to holiday scams, it said.
Muhamed Ammar, a software engineer who lives in Dubai’s Al Warqa neighbourhood, was scammed, too.
“I love perfume. I have a collection of them. There are many websites that claim to sell original perfume but, in truth, the product they offer at 60 per cent ‘discount’ was nothing but water with a few drops of fragrance,” Ammar said.
He learnt this the hard way. Earlier this year when he was about to leave for his annual vacation, he bought Dh1,200 worth of perfume for friends and family.
“When I got the order, I tried one and it lasted just a few minutes. They have a number on their website for complaints, but it’s always out of reach,” said Ammar.
The perfume was clearly fake, he said. It was just sold in a packaging that looked like the original one.
UAE authorities have time and again warned residents of online scammers, reminding them to always “think before you click”.
Visa, in its study, listed a number of tips and steps that one can follow to stay safe when shopping online.
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