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Online scams are getting harder to spot — here’s what shoppers need to watch for

Fake shops, cloned voices and convincing messages could leave you out of pocket. Find out which warning signs no longer work and the checks that can help protect your money.

#ScamAwareness #OnlineShopping #ArtificialIntelligence #ConsumerAdvice #FraudPrevention

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00:01if someone you don't know contacts you unexpectedly or you're asked to transfer
00:05money very quickly that could be the sign of a scam if you're being asked to share personal
00:10or security information like passwords pins or codes that could also be the sign of a scam
00:16another thing to look out for is if you suspect that you're not dealing with a real company
00:21so for example if there's no postal address a website can look professional a message can sound
00:28personal and a familiar voice may not be genuine artificial intelligence is giving fraudsters
00:34more ways to deceive people buying goods online responding to messages or making financial
00:40decisions so lately you might have noticed that there are people on your for you page on tiktok
00:45trying to sell things some of these will be legit but others won't be and if they're not tiktok won't
00:50be able to provide you with the protection fortunately there are some things you can do to get around
00:54that so check if you recognize the seller check if you recognize the product and check if the
00:59product is roughly the right kind of price for something like that some fake shops claim to be
01:04family-run british businesses using convincing images to build trust the danger is that traditional
01:10warning signs such as spelling mistakes and poor grammar may no longer be enough to expose a scam
01:16national trading standards has drawn up an ai scam watch list highlighting the tools and techniques
01:22criminals use these include quickly created retail websites personalized phishing messages and deep
01:29fake videos or cloned audio designed to impersonate friends and relatives in some cases fake shops
01:37advertise quality products made in britain but trading standards officers warn that customers may
01:43receive nothing at all or find that the goods are cheap mass-produced alternatives we see to secure
01:49payment methods like paypal which has the added benefit of being able to raise a dispute with the
01:53seller if what you buy turns out not to be what you thought you were buying you don't actually know
01:58what you're buying until it turns up it could be you're getting a cheap limitation it could be that
02:03the product turns up but it's in the wrong color or it could be that there are marks scuffs on
02:07it that
02:07you didn't know were there fortunately there are some things you can do to get around this for
02:11example you could ask the seller to send you more photos or if they live locally you could ask to
02:16go view
02:16the product in person before making the purchase artificial intelligence can also help fraudsters
02:21maintain romance scams over long periods by remembering personal details and keeping conversations
02:27going the methods vary but the aim is the same to win someone's trust and persuade them to hand over
02:33money or personal information in a lot of cases you can identify a scam just by asking yourself is this
02:39too good to be true if the answer is yes well it's probably a scam now there are some things
02:44you can do
02:44to work this out so look at the link that they're asking you to click at the beginning it will
02:48either say http or https if there's no s at the end the connection isn't secure and your payment details
02:55could be exposed after that you're going to want to google the seller or check out the comments on their
03:00profile if people have been scammed by them in the past the chances are they'll have written a review if
03:04you've been asked to pay in an unusual way that could also be the sign of a scam so paying
03:09by debit or credit card does
03:11provide you with extra protection the golden rule is if something feels too good to be true or doesn't
03:17feel right it could be a scam so it's a good idea to pause and seek some advice citizens advice
03:24has more
03:25information on how to check if something is a scam what to do if you are a victim of a
03:30scam and how to
03:31also report a scam so please do contact our consumer service line either online or by telephone
03:39consumer advice groups warn that familiar checks need to be reconsidered which says spelling mistakes
03:45and grammatical errors can no longer be relied on to identify fraudulent messages a carefully written
03:52email or text may still be a scam even when it includes details that make it appear genuine
03:58the financial conduct authority advises people to treat unexpected calls emails and text messages with
04:05caution particularly when they are pressured to act quickly it says people should check who they are
04:12dealing with protect passwords and payment details and avoid downloading software from untrusted sources
04:21for financial firms the fca's firm checker can help establish whether a business is
04:26authorized to provide financial services checking independently is safer than relying on a link or
04:33contact supplied by a stranger if you suspect a scam stop before sending money sharing information
04:42or following instructions contact the organization using details you have checked independently rather than
04:49relying on a message or caller to prove who they are the financial conduct authority says suspected scams
04:56can be reported to it on 800 111 6768 if you have lost money to a scam or the matter
05:04falls outside
05:05its regulation you can contact report fraud on 0300 123 2040

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