Quick tips for buyers:
- Do Google image search for profile photo and item listings.
- Verified icons aren’t trustworthy on Carousell. Don’t easily fall for those useless blue icons.
- Check reviews from buyers and sellers. Take note of sketchy reviews. If you have time, check the profiles of these sketchy users.
- Check who they follow and their followers. Recently created accounts can be dummy users.
- Check listing description carefully. If it’s too good to be true, it might cost you.
If you want to learn more, READ on.
Victims of online scams are on the rise
There have been 869 online scam cases reported by the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group from March to September 2020. Now, with the end of the pandemic out of sight in the country, the number of victims just keeps on increasing. You can add me to that growing list.
Tips to avoid getting scammed:
When you find an item you want to buy, go directly to the seller’s Profile page. Take note of the following:
| As of writing, Carousell has suspended this scammer account. But be careful as these mushroom accounts keep on popping everywhere. |
a. Profile Picture
- Scammers would use pretty faces to grab your attention and eventually your trust. There’s a difference between recognizable profile photos (KPop artist, celebrities) and those that are not popular but are conventionally attractive.
- Scammers love to use stolen photos of conventionally attractive people. It is easier to fall for these schemes. It’s human nature. We tend to trust good-looking strangers. But remember this: looks can be deceiving.
| https://images.google.com/ |
- Google image search is your friend. Do an image search to check if the image has been used in other websites. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll discover where the scammer stole their images and whom they stole it from.
b. Ratings
- These are pretty much useless.
- Read reviews. Look for patterns.
- Sketchy reviews are the ones that praise seller for being “Legit Seller.” These obviously are the opposite. Some have grammatical errors and overused periods and exclamation marks. Check if these buyers are real users. Go through their comments and profile page.
c. Date joined
- Scammers use recently created accounts. So tread carefully especially those with "1 Week, 6 days." But that doesn't mean a 1 year old account is any safer. Always look for other sketchy clues.
d. Verified icons
- Also useless. Scammers can just create multiple email and Facebook accounts, and buy multiple sims. They have all the time in the world to do that.
e. Followers and Following
- Go through their followers. Check their individual pages. If the profile pictures look alike or sketchy, these might be dummy accounts.
- If these followers have also recently joined Carousell, that’s one big red flag.
- And if these accounts are following one another, best believe these are managed by scammers.
f. Item listings
- Authentic sellers would have numerous listings, showing those that are sold, reserved and available. Scammers only have a few.
- Check the item description and price. If it is too good to be true, then maybe it will cost you.
- Do a Google image search to check if these items are really existing or are just stolen from the internet.
- If the default “Welcome sa Carousell!” listing has likes, that might be sketchy.
- Item images are sometimes blurred. The quality is compromised. If the listing is for a phone, scammers might not provide a clear image. Look for those that are clear and defined.
g. Responsiveness
- Scammers are "Very Responsive." They wear that indicator like a badge of honor. They respond quickly when buyers initiate, realizing someone had took the bait.
h. Shipping/Meet-up options
- Meet-up is safer compared to mail-in/shipping. But always be careful. Meet-up locations must be safe, not secluded from crowded places, and well-known.
- COD and Pickup are also safer alternatives.
Additional tips:
- On Carousell, sellers can only connect with you when you initiate. So, make sure you have done enough verification. When in doubt, take a rest. Close the app. Sleep on it if you must. If it’s an expensive purchase, inform your friends, loved ones, people close to you. It helps if there’s a different perspective.
- Scammers are very responsive. They will reply right after your first question. They will call you by your name to make you feel safe. They will do everything they can to create an illusion of trust.
- They will hook you and trigger your compulsion by creating desire. If you don’t pay right away, they can trick you in believing they will sell the item to another imaginary buyer.
- They will fake book a delivery and send you a screenshot to ease you worry.
| Scammers use blurred images, ask for clearer ones to be sure. |
If they’re certain that you took the bait, they’ll bleed you dry. They’ll offer other items. Because you paid in advance, they will make an irresistible offer.
They will add in some excuse like them being reprimanded for selling the item cheap. Then, they’ll ask you for additional fees. All of this making you think you’ve made an affordable purchase.
Request for additional pictures. Inexperienced scammers would scramble for images online. Make them work for it. For phones, ask for clearer images, chargers, earphones. Ask for a different angle.
Important: If it’s a big purchase, always opt for a meet-up. This applies to phones, laptops, pc, and other electronics. Bottomline is, don’t pay if you haven’t received and tested the item. Genuine seller will be patient. They will understand. Scammers will make excuses. They might give you a discounted price for an item to change your mind. Don’t fall for it.
Who's to blame?
When it had dawned on me, that I was scammed, my initial reaction was to blame myself. But don't be too hard on yourself. The scammers are the ones that should be held accountable. But at some point you'd start to think, "What about Carousell?" Carousell needs to make stricter implementation of evaluating and verifying users, sellers and buyers alike. Sellers are scammed too on the app. If Carousell truly wants to create a safe community for users, they should improve on so many things. The app should not be a place where scammers prey on user's hard-earned money. Especially amid the pandemic, when people would prefer online transactions over the physical alternative.
What now?
If you have the mental and emotional capacity to start a police investigation, you may file for one. You can continue reporting these scammers. Rid them of opportunities to swindle more users. Educate other users. Or leave Carousell, choose other secure apps.
Literally, "Charged to experience."
