Shopping online has become part of everyday life. Craft supplies that once meant a trip to a faraway specialty store can now be ordered from all over the country, and sometimes from overseas, without leaving home.
Unfortunately, scams that take advantage of this convenience are growing year by year, and their tricks keep getting more sophisticated. As someone who runs a small online shop myself, I do not want to see people who love shopping and making things get hurt. This article covers the most common tricks happening right now, the precautions you can start taking today, and where to turn if something goes wrong. The goal is not to scare you. Most scams can be avoided simply by knowing how they work.
The most common threat: fake shopping sites
A fake shopping site impersonates a real store or brand, or invents a shop that does not exist. It takes your money and never ships anything, or sends a cheap counterfeit, or harvests your card number and personal information.
These sites look just like the real thing. The product photos are stolen from legitimate shops, and now that machine translation has improved, you can no longer count on awkward language to give them away. Still, if you look closely, they share some telltale signs.
First, the price. Discounts like half price or 70 percent off are reason enough to pause. So is a popular item that has long been sold out everywhere suddenly showing as in stock. Banners like "today only" or "only a few left" are classic tricks to rush you out of thinking clearly.
Second, the payment methods. You proceed through checkout, and the card payment option that was displayed earlier disappears, leaving only bank transfer. Or the transfer destination is a personal account rather than a company. These are serious warning signs. A legitimate shop will almost never ask for advance payment to a personal bank account.
Third, the seller information. In Japan, online shops are legally required to display the business name, address, and phone number under the Specified Commercial Transactions Act. If this notice is missing, if the address does not exist on a map, or if searching the company name brings up a completely unrelated business, do not order. Some scam sites even copy the address and phone number of a real company, so the rule is not "it is written, so it is safe" but "search and verify."
One more thing worth remembering. The padlock icon (https) next to the URL means the connection is encrypted. It does not mean the shop is trustworthy. Most scam sites these days have the padlock too.
The entry points: ads and messages
There are two main doors into a fake site.
One is advertising on social media and in search results. Many victims report being led to fake sites through ads promising deep discounts. If an ad brings you to a shop you do not know, check the warning signs above one by one. Appearing at the top of search results does not make a site safe either.
The other is email and SMS (text messages). A delivery company says "we missed you and took your package back." A card company or bank says "your account has been suspended." A major shopping site says "there is a problem with your payment." These fake notices get you to open a link and enter your ID, password, or card number on a convincing copy of the real page. This is called phishing.
The defense is simple. Do not open links in these messages. Instead, check through the bookmark or official app you always use. This one habit prevents most phishing.
If someone says "we will refund you"
One trick that stands out recently goes like this: "The item you ordered is out of stock, so we will refund you. Please complete the procedure in your smartphone payment app." If you follow the instructions, instead of receiving a refund, you end up sending money. Please remember: you never need to perform a transfer or payment operation in order to receive a refund.
There is also "support fraud," where a warning suddenly appears on your computer or phone claiming a virus infection and urging you to call the number on the screen. A real virus warning never shows a phone number and asks you to call. Do not panic and do not call. Just close the page or the browser.
Everyday prevention
Here are habits I recommend.
Open the shops you use regularly from your bookmarks, not from search. Before ordering from a shop for the first time, check its seller information, and try searching the shop name together with words like "scam" or "never arrived." Pay by methods that offer some protection, such as credit cards; turn on usage notifications so you hear about every charge, and glance through your statement from time to time. And if you are asked to pay in advance by bank transfer, especially to a personal account, stop right there.
One more thing. Please share this article with your family. Scammers target people who are less familiar with computers and smartphones. Simply agreeing as a family that "if something feels off, ask someone before you pay" makes everyone much harder to fool.
If you do get caught
If it happens, do not carry it alone. Reach out as soon as you can. The faster you act, the better the chance of getting your money back.
- In Japan, call the Consumer Hotline at 188 to reach your nearest consumer affairs center
- Call the police consultation line at #9110 or visit your nearest police station; the National Police Agency also runs an online reporting service for cyber incidents
- If you sent a bank transfer, contact the receiving bank and your own bank immediately; under Japanese law on relief for victims of fraudulent transfers, the account can be frozen
- If you entered card details, contact your card company right away to block the card, have it reissued, and ask about compensation
- If you live outside Japan, contact your local consumer protection agency and your card issuer
Keep the evidence: screenshots of the site, the emails or text messages, and transfer receipts. And please know that being scammed is nothing to be ashamed of. The tricks grow more sophisticated every year, and anyone can be caught. Speaking up also helps protect the next person.
A request from our shop
Finally, a word about us. The only official URL of our shop is https://store.alaudae.jp. If you ever see our name or product photos on any other domain, that site is a fake and has nothing to do with us. Please check the address bar before ordering. We will also never email or text you asking to redo a payment, or to perform a transfer in order to receive a refund. If you come across a suspicious site or message, we would be grateful if you let us know through our contact form.
Closing
If reading this far has made you a little uneasy, that is not the feeling I want to leave you with. Quite the opposite. Know the signs, get in the habit of not opening links in unexpected messages, and be careful about how you pay. That alone avoids most of the danger.
Whenever something makes you stop and think "hmm?", pause before ordering, take a breath, and look into it. That one breath is your best protection. I hope you will keep enjoying online shopping, and your crafting time, with peace of mind.
