Beware: online scams are thriving

There is nothing wrong about erring on the side of caution when shopping on social networks. Complaints have been growing with the most common problem being unfulfilled orders. 

A woman called her Facebook account Luknam Plus. She posted photos of stylish high heel shoes and offered big sizes. She lured many customers but never sent any goods to those who transferred their money.

Another case involved a man calling himself Charnyuth Kaewsawang. 

He offered IT products such as iPads and notebooks at below market prices. He pretended to ship products to customers by going to the post office. All he has sent so far are empty boxes, as he wants to get EMS tracking numbers to calm down and silence shoppers.

Leading online site Dealfish.com, which sells a wide range of products from property and IT furniture, has one section dedicated to online shopping scams. It is worth visiting as it lists all the cheating accounts and real names.

But first things first, precautions are needed when shopping online, as Dealfish.com suggests.

Before making any purchase, a buyer must ask detailed information about a seller. It is best to get all contact details including address, telephone number, email address and even ID card number. It is also useful to get them in both Thai and English so you can try Googling them to check the record of the seller.

If you need to transfer money first, it is even more crucial to get all the information on the seller and check if such an identity exists.

If a seller claims to also run a shop, you must get the phone number of the shop and even better the trade registration number or any related information to confirm its existence. 

The last suggestion of Dealfish.com sounds illogical but true. Whatever you do reduces the risk of getting conned. There is no way to give you a 100-per-cent guarantee of not becoming a victim.