Ten tips for spotting fake webshops
Don't get scammed!
It's a story that plays out again and again, all around the world. You order some shoes or clothes from a webshop, but either nothing turns up, or the goods that arrive are fakes. So, with the present-buying season in full swing, we're advising everyone to be on the lookout for scams. Here are ten tips for spotting that a webshop is a fake.
How can you spot a fake webshop?
Fraudulent webshops tend to share certain features. They're often similar in terms of site design, colour scheme and wording. And their domain names frequently don't match what they're selling. However, scammers are getting better at making fake webshops look like the real thing. So, before ordering from an unfamiliar webshop, do our ten checks:
Check that the URL is genuine. That isn't always easy. So check out these tips.
Check for membership of a recognised accreditation scheme. E.g. Thuiswinkel Waarborg. If there's an accreditation logo, see whether it's linked to the website of the accreditation organisation. And whether that organisation lists the webshop you're looking at.
Check when the domain name was registered. Fake shops often have newly registered names, so use the search bar on our homepage to look up the details.
Check for a security certificate. If the site has a security certificate, the URL will start 'https://' and clicking on the padlock icon will bring up the certificate's validity details.
Check the Trade Register number. Look it up on the Chamber of Commerce website.
Check the VAT number. Look it up on the European Commission website.
Check for reviews of the webshop and/or the domain name. To find out what other shoppers think of it.
Check for spelling errors and bad grammar. Scammers in other parts of the world often make mistakes.
Check the contact details. If there's a chat tool, try starting a chat. On a fake site, you'll often get no response. Look for a phone number and try giving the shop a call.
Check the prices. Do they seem too good to be true? Then they probably are. Don't be fooled!
If everything seems to be above board, pay for your basket using a credit card, because then you're covered against fraud. If the shop wants you to pay by money transfer (e.g. Western Union or MoneyGram), watch out: that's not a good sign.
Is the webshop asking you to identify yourself by sending a copy of your ID? That's not something that a legitimate shop will normally do. So the best response is usually to walk away. Otherwise you run the risk of your identity being used for other kinds of fraud.
.nl is one the world's most secure internet domains
First and foremost, webshop scams impact on the people tricked out of their money. But they also undermine the .nl domain's strong reputation for security. So we work hard to stamp out this form of internet crime.
As well as taking reports from the victims of scams, we exchange information and maintain close contact with the LMIO (Police National Internet Fraud Desk), the Fraud Help Desk and others. When an incident is reported to us, we look at the relevant domain name's registration data. If we find that it's false, we can usually cancel the domain name's registration on the grounds that the registrant hasn't met our terms and conditions. And, if the same registrar is often being used for suspect registrations, we'll talk to the registrar about improving security.
Finally, we have specially developed systems that we use for the early detection of fake webshops in the .nl domain. All in all, we aim to make the .nl domain as unattractive to cybercriminals as we can, so that .nl remains one the world's most secure internet domains.