During the pandemic, E-commerce stores became one of the most successful businesses to exist. People all around the world started to avoid going out and preferred ordering their daily necessities from E-commerce stores like Amazon. Their essentials including kitchen supplies, medicines, food, appliances and anything else they could need were made readily available to be delivered at their doorstep. Even after the pandemic ended, numerous people have realized the benefits of ordering their essentials online. Along with massive discounts, the items they need are delivered on their doorstep. As a result, people have begun ordering items not only from Amazon but other unverified websites and applications. Such practices have led to their details being leaked and often end with them becoming victims of a brushing scam. Recently, numerous people in the United Kingdom were sent scarves which they did not order. Although this might sound like a good situation for the people who got a scarf for free, this means their personal data including names and addresses have been leaked.
Credits: Irish Mirror
What brushing scams are?
With the growing popularity of E-commerce platforms like Amazon, brushing scams have also been on the rise. In the case of a brushing scam, scammers usually create a fake order which allows them to send their products to random people whose data they have access to. You might still be wondering how the scammer would actually benefit by giving away free stuff. In reality, these scammers are mostly sellers who send their products and then give fake 5-star reviews to boost the ratings of their products and attract more customers. Such scams could lead to potential financial losses and identity theft for the victims.
Why Brushing Scams Are Dangerous
These scams could have severe consequences for those who are victims of the same. The fact that someone else has access to your details is very concerning. The scammer might use the leaked information of the victim to commit identity theft or other types of fraud. Sometimes, people who did not order the package might as well get charged for it and lose their hard earned money on something they did not need.
Preventive Measures against such scams:
Since such scams are on a rise throughout the world, as a user of E-commerce website, you could be their next victim. Therefore, it is important to know what you must keep in mind to not fall for these scams.
- Everyone on the internet, especially those who use it to purchase items must be very careful about the information they are providing and who they’re providing it to. They must be extra aware of websites which offer deals that sound to good to be true.
- They must make sure that the website they are using to place the order is legitimate and secure.
- Frequent users of E-Commerce services might as well consider having a secondary mobile number and email address to use for online purchases. This would reveal less information as the data associated with their original email and number would be out of reach of scammers.
- It is also important to check your credit card and bank statements for any unauthorized transactions. Unrecognizable transactions in your bank statements could signal that you have been scammed. Such incidents must also be reported to relevant authorities as soon as possible.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we might become victims of such scams anytime in the future. Therefore, we must remian vigilant and follow the rules above to reduce our risk of being a victim of a brushing scam. Moreover, if someone does fall for such a scam, it is important to take the right steps quickly to prevent possible damage to their finances and data.