As of: February 12, 2024, 5:08 a.m
By: Philipp Bräuner
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Criminals are using a new internet fraud scam.
© Christian Ohde/Imago
Online rip-offs are becoming more and more inventive.
Fraudsters have come up with a particularly devious trick that victims often only notice late.
Kassel – Criminals are constantly trying to trick innocent users online out of their money.
Experts therefore warn that you should exercise extreme caution when doing anything online.
But sometimes it's not that easy, as shown by a new wave of fraud on the Internet.
As a report by NDR reveals, numerous consumers of large online platforms such as Amazon or Ebay are currently affected by this.
Fraudsters have apparently developed a new variation of the so-called triangular fraud in order to obtain the money of unsuspecting Internet shoppers in a particularly perfidious way.
New type of cybercrime: Fraudsters use customer data to order products
Through hacked seller accounts or specially created fake online shops, the crooks offer goods at temptingly low prices.
As soon as users place an order with the fraudsters, the trap closes.
The fraudsters are now in possession of the customer data.
The criminals then use this data to order the original goods from reputable dealers.
These in turn send the products to customers who had previously purchased from the fake online shops.
The customers are delighted: the product they want is there, even at a bargain price, everything seems perfect.
Until the equally deceived reputable internet provider gets in touch.
According to Andreas Mackenthun from the LKA Hamburg, the fact that the process appears so inconspicuous is a crucial aspect of the fraud maneuver.
By the time the fraud is discovered, numerous more customers could be duped and the traces of the fraud on the Internet could be thoroughly covered up.
Users can protect themselves from new scams
In this scenario, deceived users only have limited options for action.
They either pay for the goods again or send the product back, whereby they are dependent on the goodwill of the retailers.
In any case, they won't get away unscathed.
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According to NDR
, there are various options to protect yourself from such fraud
:
Before buying online, always take a look at user reviews: How is the online shop rated, how many reviews are there?
Who is the sender of my product?
Did I even order from this shop?
Is there an invoice in the package even though I have already paid?
Online retailers can be checked directly using the consumer advice center's fake shop finder.
And of course: Be careful with particularly cheap offers!
If they seem too tempting, they usually are.
Vigilance when shopping online ultimately benefits all users.
According to the report, such fraud could also increase the real price of products, as retailers often calculate their losses due to fraud.
(pkb)
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