- Scams
- Online Scams
Dishonest Online Shops
Dishonest Online Shops
Last updated
It's easy to build an online shop that looks legitimate, and scammers take advantage of that. The shops are often promoted on social media with low prices or a "closing-down sale". The item never arrives, is much worse than in the pictures or is something completely different. Many of these shops use dropshipping, which means the item is sent straight from a manufacturer abroad. That isn't fraud in itself, but often leads to long delivery times and poor quality.
Warning signs
Prices are much lower than in other shops.
The shop has no company registration number or real contact details.
The text looks machine-translated.
The shop says it's closing down and has "everything on sale".
Unsure about an online shop? Check it with Bluffsynaren.
Examples of Dishonest Online Shops
Websites ending in .com.se
One type of website that is almost always a scam is a site ending in .com.se, or some other double ending, especially if it seems to sell products to the Swedish market. The scam usually works like this: the scammers pick a website ending in .com and build a new one that looks the same but ends in .com.se instead. The picture shows one such site pretending to be Marimekko.
Because customers think they are buying from the real Marimekko, it is Marimekko that has to deal with the angry customers who lost their money without getting any product. Meanwhile the scammers disappear with the money without having done anything.
Stockholm-modehus.com
Stockholm-modehus.com is an example of a website that pretends to sell products at good prices but is really just a scam. It lists well-known brands at big discounts, but customers who bought from it say in reviews that they never received anything after paying. Sites like this often advertise on social media, because at first glance they look legitimate, and social platforms often don't check their advertisers very thoroughly.
This site has advertised on Snapchat, among other places, which mainly reaches children and young people.
How do you avoid this?
- Search for the shop's name together with the word "scam" or "reviews" before you buy.
- Pay by card or invoice, so you can get your money back if the item doesn't arrive.
- Don't pay with Swish or bank transfer to shops you don't know.
Has this happened to you?
- Contact the shop in writing and keep all correspondence.
- Paid by card? Ask your bank to dispute the purchase.
- Get advice from Hallå konsument, the Swedish Consumer Agency's advice service.
- Report it to the police at polisen.se or call 114 14 if the item never arrives.
- dropshipping
- online shopping
- online shop
- fake shop
- social media
