Want to shop online? Don’t forget to be vigilant, so as not to spend all your money on fraudulent eshops. A pro reveals his advice to us to avoid being scammed, and we have listed 5 sites on which we advise you not to order.
On the Internet, you are never safe from a scam. An order not or badly received, low-quality clothes or even misleading photos… Millions of people are victims, each year, of fraudulent eshops. Laurent Amarat the head of France Verifthe leading e-commerce scam detector site, even claims that ““65% of people are victims of Internet fraud“. A huge figure that concerns both young and old people.
“65% of people are victims of Internet fraud, and as many among young people as among the elderly. It’s very well distributed. Whether you’re 18 or 65, the proportions are about the same”, noted Laurent Amar since the creation of France Verif. For him, a fraudulent eshop is “a site that will lie to the consumer.”
How to spot a fraudulent eshop?
First of all, let’s define this notion of fraudulent eshop. For Laurent Amar, it is abouta site that lies to the consumer. And they are many more than you might think:It’s been years now that all fraudulent sites have an address that begins with https, are written without any spelling mistakes and are sometimes, even, exact copies of the eshop they imitate“.
You are used to check comments before you decide? Forget ! Nothing is easier thanbuy review : “These days, sites that are full of victims have very good reviews and are well rated“, confirms the founder of France Verif. To spot a fraudulent eshop, his software, which is used as a browser extension, scans every site that appears on the web. Depending on the reliability of the eshop on which you are about to make a purchase, a red (danger), orange (medium reliability) or green (ok) pop-up appears. In addition, France Verif helps to determine if the prices displayed on the page are the result of a real reduction or a false promotionwhich would save nearly 30% of consumer purchasing power on the Internet, according to the specialist.
Fraudulent fashion sites: our blacklist
Here is 5 fashion websites who have (very) bad reputation! Even if their products tempt you in photos, avoid ordering if you do not want to face disappointment:
- Wish : the American platform, which lists thousands of products, has received many reviews. Some of the most common consumer complaints include deliveries not reaching the mailbox, long delays and direct debits: “Very poor quality, package that never arrives, site to flee…”, based on buyer feedback April 2023; “A sum of €64.22 was debited from my account on March 17, 2023 at 2:53 p.m., but it has been 2 years since I placed an order on your site!”said another consumer in March 2023.
- Just Fashion Now: this online fashion site is often singled out for its sizing issues. In 2022, on France Verif, two consumers paid the price: “Size S corresponds to a good 44!”, “I have just been a victim of this site. The pants ordered do not correspond to the ones I received, which are only good enough to be used as a rag”testify Michel R. and Yolande D.
- AliExpress: since 2010, the Chinese site AliExpress stands out from its competitors with its products at low prices. But some never reach their destination, according to reviews from online shoppers: “I totally advise against this site. Items debited from my account. NEVER DELIVERED. NEVER REFUNDED”, “The products are always of such poor quality. The customer service is absent. Too many scams…”can we read on the web in May 2023.
- Clothing website: this eshop offers many discounts on all of its collections. Except that on the Internet, this site does not always have a good reputation: wrong sizes, long delivery times: “I received my package almost 10 days after the expected date!”, said a buyer in 2023.
- Bloomshop: like its competitors, Bloomshop is often criticized by its users. The quality of the clothes is the most common customer disappointment: “Poor quality: a simple polyester fabric sewn in a hurry, the threads come out, the one size fits all does not fit a size 38, too tight, very badly cut. It does not deserve these prices”writes a user on Google in 2020.