Although your virtual bonsai Mastercard is a safe way to make online payments, we would like to give you 7 tips below to prevent you from making a purchase on a fraudulent website.
1. "If it's too good to be true, it's probably not true"
You receive an advertisement on social media, an email or you end up through a friend on a website where you can get real bargains for (well-known) brands! 50% or more discount on the new collection. It's almost too good to be true and... it often is. There is a good chance that you will never receive your package, you will receive the wrong products or even counterfeit products. Be very careful if you see low prices.
2. Check the website URL
Are you actually on the real website of the merchant/brand? Fraudsters can recreate a website, but they cannot use the URL if they are not the owner. Google the name of the merchant to see whether you would end up on another website via the search results. Be careful here too as it is possible that the top result is an advertisement from the fraudulent website. To be sure, you can check the URL in https://www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite/ or use another website such as https://www.scamadviser.com/ .
3. Check out reviews from other buyers
You can find the experiences of other buyers on websites such as Trustpilot: https://www.trustpilot.com/ . A low score is a red flag 🚩. It is possible for fraudsters to buy reviews - here you should also look at how "basic" the reviews are. People with 5 stars often give a more extensive review, as do those with 1 star.
4. Check language use
Spelling mistakes are always possible, even on the most visited websites, but if you see a lot of spelling mistakes or capital letters where there shouldn't be capital letters, then this should also ring a bell!
5. Take a look at the support address / contact page
If the support email address does not end in the same URL as the website where you want to make your purchase: 🚩
Especially if it is a free email service such as @gmail, @outlook, @proton, @yahoo...
A legitimate merchant wants to be easy to contact and are very available to assist you with any questions.
6. The website does not have an SSL certificate (http://www... instead of https://www...)
Such a certificate is the absolute minimum when it comes to security. Your web browser will often tell you in advance that it is an unsafe website and make you take an extra step to surf it. However! If the website doés have an SSL certificate, it does not always mean that it is a reliable trader.
7. Use known platforms or websites
Well-known platforms (such as bol.com, Amazon, ...) on which traders can sell offer an extra guarantee. It is also best to shop at a dealer based in Europe. You do not pay import costs and are better protected as a consumer.
So always be careful when making purchases online! If you become a victim of fraud, there is no insurance or guarantee of reimbursement of the amount with your virtual Mastercard.