We nearly got scammed on TikTok Shop. Here’s how to avoid scams when shopping online
Our colleague Glenn has a problem: he loves buying shoes. Since I started life here at PriceShop Malaysia, I’ve probably seen him in five different pairs of shoes, ranging from two tone court shoes to comically oversized foamies and even the most garish neon pink running shoes I’ve seen.
Glenn however also loves money, and as a consequence he only ever buys these shoes on sale. Despite his age, Glenn loves scrolling TikTok, and that incidentally that’s also where he does his shoe shopping thanks to the wide range of shoes at heavily discounted prices on TikTok Shop. And that’s where Glenn discovers an ad while scrolling for what appears to be incredibly cheap running shoes from Asics.
Typically priced between RM600 to RM800, this pair of Asics Superblast 2 was going for just RM106! Glenn couldn’t believe his eyes; surely this was too good to be true? Immediately though, red flags began appearing.
The price itself was way too cheap to be believable—no other seller was letting them go for less than RM400. Then there’s the fact that it was a sponsored TikTok ad, which led it to a third party website rather than a seller on TikTok Shop itself. Lastly, and perhaps the biggest sign that he wasn’t going to get a real pair of shoes at the end of this, was that the URL of the website he was redirected to wasn’t the real Asics website.
Luckily for Glenn, he quickly realised that this was likely too good to be true, and so clicked away rather than giving the scammer his money (and credit card details for that matter). However, not many are that lucky, and indeed it seems that scammers specifically using the Asics brand to con budding runners are fairly common.
So common in fact that Asics Malaysia themselves issued a warning late last year, highlighting an increase in counterfeit Asics products being sold through unauthorised stores and fake websites that mimic the appearance of their official store. For those looking to actually get a brand new pair of Asics by the way, here are the official Asics Malaysia online stores:
- https://www.asics.com/my/en-my/
- https://www.lazada.com.my/shop/asics/
- https://shopee.com.my/asicsmalaysia.os
- https://www.zalora.com.my/store/asics-my
In any case, to ensure you don’t get scammed, here are some quick tips to help you be more confident when shopping online.
If buying from a website, check the URL
While you can already get plenty of stuff from eCommerce platforms, sometimes you may want to get from a company’s official website instead; maybe there are more discounts or models exclusive to their website. However, just like the fake Asics website above, you’ll want to ensure you’re on the real online store.
Taking Asics as an example, look out for red flags such as extra words like ‘shop’, ‘shoes’ or ‘outlet’ added onto the URL. You’ll also want to ensure it has the real logo of the company you’re buying from, and that the language used is natural with correct grammar.
Similarly, if you’re redirected to a payment page, ensure it’s a legitimate payment portal and not a phishing page; ignore links sent via WhatsApp for example, and don’t go through with it if you suddenly get more OTP/TAC requests than expected.
Always check the seller’s rating and reviews
For those buying on eCommerce platforms, the easiest way to avoid being scammed is to check the store’s history. Look at the product reviews and check the store’s overall ratings and completed orders too. And while a listing or a store with hundreds of reviews may look promising, do also check that they’re real; avoid repetitive and generic reviews posted within a short timeframe.
If the price is too good to be true, it probably is
Perhaps the most oft-repeated advice about buying stuff online is that you’ll want to avoid being tempted by prices that are just way too cheap. A flagship smartphone that just launched won’t suddenly be available for RM1,000 for example, nor will a brand new Tissot PRX be priced at RM500.
Cross check the current market price of whatever you’re buying on other storefronts or platforms, and if it seems unrealistic it’s best to pass on it.
Avoid paying outside the platform
One seldom mentioned benefit of buying stuff via an eCommerce platform is that you usually get buyer protection and a refund system. Get the wrong product? Ship it back to the seller and get a refund. Defect spotted? Ship it back to the seller and get a refund.
That’s why scammers often try to get you to make payment outside the platform. Sometimes you’ll get a message from the seller asking you to refund the purchase on the platform, and then repurchase the item via bank transfer or eWallet transfer. That eliminates any buyer protection you may get from the platform.
What to do if you get scammed?
If you bought something via a website, you’ll want to first check your bank account or credit card to see if the scammers have managed to drain more money from you. You’ll then want to activate the ‘kill switch’ function on your bank app and contact your bank about it. You can also contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997 for more assistance, especially if the scammers have managed to transfer more funds from your account.
Alternatively, if you’ve been scammed when buying on an eCommerce platform, immediately make a report on the platform to freeze the scammer’s storefront. Lastly, you can head to your nearest police station to make a police report.
Read more of our articles below!
