Posted by - February 06, 2019

With people conducting more online transactions than ever before, it important for people to be wary of online scams. Whether it’s business related or a personal transaction, people unfortunately have a bad habit of being too trusting of the internet. A recent CNET article provides four good ways to avoid becoming the victim of an online scam.

  1. Check merchant or buyer score- This information will display the level of credibility held by the person you are doing business with.
  2. Confirm payment has been received- If you are the seller, make sure the money is in your account before shipping the item. If it is requested that you ship your item before payment is received, report the buyer to the proper authorities.
  3. Double check addresses- Make sure the sender’s email address matches the company’s official email address found on its website. If they don’t match, it’s a major red flag and you should consider doing business elsewhere. You can also find out who owns the account by searching the address on Whois.
  4. Cross reference photos- You can use images.google.com, tineye.com or pixsy.com to find out if the image on the person’s social media with whom you are conducting business with belongs to them.

If you realize you have fallen victim to a scam, immediately contact the carrier and try to cancel the shipment. If it has already been shipped, contact the local police department in the jurisdiction of the recipient, file a report, and request that the police retrieve the item. Finally, file a complaint on the FBI’s website, which will help law enforcement catch repeat offenders. If you have any questions about safely conducting online transactions, feel free to send us an email at info@optfinity.com or give us a call at 703-790-0400.

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