'Even I fell for these scams!' Veteran reporter reveals the two scams you need to avoid
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Online shopping has become a large part of some people’s lives, especially for those who find it difficult to get around to traditional stores nowadays.
It's incredibly convenient to open up your laptop and have an entire selection of stores at your fingertips.
However, it seems that as technology continues to advance further, the more sophisticated scammers have become as well.
Just recently, Emma Levett, a veteran reporter who has written about all types of scams has unfortunately become the latest victim of two different scams. She also said that her husband, who works in IT, has warned her multiple times about email and text scams, which has now made her feel ‘paranoid’.
According to Emma, both scams were in the form of social media advertisements for sales of items from bottle retailer Frank Green and clothing store Cotton On Kids.
'I clicked through, and my lust for a bargain took hold,’ Levett said.
'I should have twigged when all the sizes were still available; I should have twigged when I couldn’t find an option to click and collect; I certainly should have twigged before spending $65 and merrily handing over my credit card details.'
The same thing happened to her with retailer Frank Green whose website was cloned by scammers, leading shoppers to believe they were shopping at a legitimate Frank Green online store.
'An Instagram advert took me to a highly professional, frank green-cloned website,' Levett explained.
'It was a 2023 stock clearance, so the markdowns [from] a $59 water bottle to a slightly more palatable $26 were believable.'
Levett ignored all warning signs and later discovered that she had been tricked when she saw her credit card statement.
'I’d received convincing confirmation emails from both companies and even a tracking email from “Cotton On”, but my bank statement told a different story.'
On her bank statement, Cotton On was mysteriously changed to 'PHP*style sensation Hong Kong' while Frank Green became 'TOSUNFLOWERBABYS.COM'.
The $70 AUD she had spent on the fake Frank Green website had been converted to US dollars which translated to $109 AUD.
'The embarrassment for falling for such a cheap trick I’d spent years warning others about was initially allayed by the flurry of calls to my bank and then, as it advised, emails to ScamWatch and the real Australian companies, Cotton On and Frank Green, to inform them of the fake websites,' Levett said.
However, by the time they were able to identify the scammers behind those fake websites, they had already closed it and opened new websites with a slightly different domain.
It was not all doom and gloom for the reporter, she shared good news for those who fall victim to these kinds of scams and a way to chase the money spent on their websites.
'After cancelling my credit card, my bank raised a Transaction Dispute.'
'When you’ve been charged multiple times for the same purchases, charged the wrong amount for your purchases or don’t receive the goods and/or services you paid for, the bank can argue that the transaction should be reversed and the money refunded to your credit or debit card.'
However, she notes that disputes can take up to 45 days, and during that time, the bank said that something cheap might arrive at your address as scammers would send these in place of the actual goods to fight disputes.
'When the victim tries to dispute the charges, the scammers say an item was delivered.'
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), despite all the efforts, scams seem to persist, with Australians losing $9.2 million to this specific type of scam in the previous year.
As Christmas is just around the corner and people start turning to online retailers for a more convenient way of shopping for gifts, Scamwatch advises everyone to be on high alert for these types of scams.
'Watch out for scam websites that mimic well-known brands,' said Scamwatch on one of its social media platforms.
'Remember, sponsored websites can be fake, so stop and check the website address to make sure you're visiting the real online store.'
You can read Scamwatch’s full warning below:
Scamwatch also warned that scammers may also impersonate famous people to create fake reviews about and promote their products and services.
Just recently, David Koch’s image was used to target victims as part of a suspected ongoing scam campaign.
Furthermore, if a website only offers a single payment method or asks for payment in the form of gift cards or bitcoin, this may also be a sign that the transaction is fraudulent.
Both Cotton On and Frank Green responded with a statement, saying that they were doing 'everything they could' to address the problem.
'We can assure you that we are doing everything we can to help avoid this from happening,' a representative from Frank Green said.
'This includes working with a brand protection agency to remove these websites and scams as quickly as possible.'
'Unfortunately, new websites continue to appear. Please send them (any fake websites) through to our customer service team so that we can use the formal channels to flag and remove these websites.
'It’s worth also knowing that Frank Green does not discount our products.’
'Any promotion that advertises this type of activity can be assumed to be a scam, and we advise [you] to steer clear.'
On the other hand, a representative from Cotton On said: 'It has come to our attention that there are fraudulent websites and social media ads that mimic Cotton On Kids.'
'We are continuing to monitor and work with authorities to have these fraudulent sites shut down.
'We recommend that affected customers contact their bank, Scamwatch or local authorities for advice and support.
'When shopping online, it’s increasingly important to check the URL and remain vigilant of any activity that doesn’t feel quite right.
'We encourage customers to shop via our official Cotton On Kids website www.cottonon.com/AU/cottononkids, and our official Instagram account @cottononkids.'
So, dear members, do be careful this holiday season, and remember that if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
If you, or anyone you know, has become a victim of any type of scam, immediately contact your bank and report the scam to the National Anti-Scam Centre through this link: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam.
Have you experienced something similar before while shopping online? What are your thoughts on this story? Share them with us in the comments below!
It's incredibly convenient to open up your laptop and have an entire selection of stores at your fingertips.
However, it seems that as technology continues to advance further, the more sophisticated scammers have become as well.
Just recently, Emma Levett, a veteran reporter who has written about all types of scams has unfortunately become the latest victim of two different scams. She also said that her husband, who works in IT, has warned her multiple times about email and text scams, which has now made her feel ‘paranoid’.
Emma Levett, a veteran reporter, was the latest victim of two different online scams. Image source: Freepik.
According to Emma, both scams were in the form of social media advertisements for sales of items from bottle retailer Frank Green and clothing store Cotton On Kids.
'I clicked through, and my lust for a bargain took hold,’ Levett said.
'I should have twigged when all the sizes were still available; I should have twigged when I couldn’t find an option to click and collect; I certainly should have twigged before spending $65 and merrily handing over my credit card details.'
The same thing happened to her with retailer Frank Green whose website was cloned by scammers, leading shoppers to believe they were shopping at a legitimate Frank Green online store.
'An Instagram advert took me to a highly professional, frank green-cloned website,' Levett explained.
'It was a 2023 stock clearance, so the markdowns [from] a $59 water bottle to a slightly more palatable $26 were believable.'
Levett ignored all warning signs and later discovered that she had been tricked when she saw her credit card statement.
'I’d received convincing confirmation emails from both companies and even a tracking email from “Cotton On”, but my bank statement told a different story.'
On her bank statement, Cotton On was mysteriously changed to 'PHP*style sensation Hong Kong' while Frank Green became 'TOSUNFLOWERBABYS.COM'.
The $70 AUD she had spent on the fake Frank Green website had been converted to US dollars which translated to $109 AUD.
'The embarrassment for falling for such a cheap trick I’d spent years warning others about was initially allayed by the flurry of calls to my bank and then, as it advised, emails to ScamWatch and the real Australian companies, Cotton On and Frank Green, to inform them of the fake websites,' Levett said.
Emma Levett immediately called her bank and advised Scamwatch and the legitimate retail companies about her recent experience. Image source: stefamerpik on Freepik.
However, by the time they were able to identify the scammers behind those fake websites, they had already closed it and opened new websites with a slightly different domain.
It was not all doom and gloom for the reporter, she shared good news for those who fall victim to these kinds of scams and a way to chase the money spent on their websites.
'After cancelling my credit card, my bank raised a Transaction Dispute.'
'When you’ve been charged multiple times for the same purchases, charged the wrong amount for your purchases or don’t receive the goods and/or services you paid for, the bank can argue that the transaction should be reversed and the money refunded to your credit or debit card.'
However, she notes that disputes can take up to 45 days, and during that time, the bank said that something cheap might arrive at your address as scammers would send these in place of the actual goods to fight disputes.
'When the victim tries to dispute the charges, the scammers say an item was delivered.'
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), despite all the efforts, scams seem to persist, with Australians losing $9.2 million to this specific type of scam in the previous year.
As Christmas is just around the corner and people start turning to online retailers for a more convenient way of shopping for gifts, Scamwatch advises everyone to be on high alert for these types of scams.
'Watch out for scam websites that mimic well-known brands,' said Scamwatch on one of its social media platforms.
'Remember, sponsored websites can be fake, so stop and check the website address to make sure you're visiting the real online store.'
You can read Scamwatch’s full warning below:
Scamwatch also warned that scammers may also impersonate famous people to create fake reviews about and promote their products and services.
Just recently, David Koch’s image was used to target victims as part of a suspected ongoing scam campaign.
Furthermore, if a website only offers a single payment method or asks for payment in the form of gift cards or bitcoin, this may also be a sign that the transaction is fraudulent.
Both Cotton On and Frank Green responded with a statement, saying that they were doing 'everything they could' to address the problem.
'We can assure you that we are doing everything we can to help avoid this from happening,' a representative from Frank Green said.
'This includes working with a brand protection agency to remove these websites and scams as quickly as possible.'
'Unfortunately, new websites continue to appear. Please send them (any fake websites) through to our customer service team so that we can use the formal channels to flag and remove these websites.
'It’s worth also knowing that Frank Green does not discount our products.’
'Any promotion that advertises this type of activity can be assumed to be a scam, and we advise [you] to steer clear.'
On the other hand, a representative from Cotton On said: 'It has come to our attention that there are fraudulent websites and social media ads that mimic Cotton On Kids.'
'We are continuing to monitor and work with authorities to have these fraudulent sites shut down.
'We recommend that affected customers contact their bank, Scamwatch or local authorities for advice and support.
'When shopping online, it’s increasingly important to check the URL and remain vigilant of any activity that doesn’t feel quite right.
'We encourage customers to shop via our official Cotton On Kids website www.cottonon.com/AU/cottononkids, and our official Instagram account @cottononkids.'
If you, or anyone you know, has become a victim of any type of scam, immediately contact your bank and report the scam to the National Anti-Scam Centre through this link: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam.
Have you experienced something similar before while shopping online? What are your thoughts on this story? Share them with us in the comments below!
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