Scams of Christmas: Fake websites myPolice

With the festive season nearly upon us, ‘tis the season for online scams.

The Financial and Cyber Crime Group are reminding Queenslanders to be aware of Grinch-like scammers and be sure to stay alert to scams such as fake websites.

Scammers often set up fake online stores and social media pages, claiming to sell popular items at incredibly low prices.

If a product’s advertised price seems too good to be true, there’s a very good chance it is.

Other telltale signs of an online scam include a website with minimal information about delivery, returns or contact details, and requests to pay via unsecure and unusual methods.

Detective Inspector Vince Byrnes from the Financial and Cyber Crime Group said scammers often set up a fake online store with products at ‘too-good-to-be-true’ prices to attempt to trick shoppers into buying stock they don’t have.

“It is best to use online retailers or brands that you are aware of, trust and that offer buyer protections,” Detective Inspector Byrnes.

“We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again and again: be very wary of shopping websites that don’t use secure payment methods and offer big discounts for direct payment into accounts.

“And please, never pay anything via cryptocurrency,” Detective Inspector Byrnes said.

To learn more about scams, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au or the Queensland Police Service’s R U in Control campaign at www.police.qld.gov.au/safety-and-preventing-crime/r-u-in-control.