Guide · December 9, 2020
Fake Online Store: Six Signs to Check Before You Pay
A fake online store is a website that looks like a real shop but takes your money and never sends the goods. Fakes copy real logos, show big discounts and use photos taken from other sites. The six checks below take about ten minutes. Run them before you pay anyone you have not bought from before.
1. Look for full seller details
A real shop tells you who it is. Under Decree 52/2013/ND-CP on e-commerce, which has applied since July 2013, a business that sells goods on its own website has to show clear information about itself. Look for the company name, the business registration number, a street address and a working phone number. A page that shows only a chat button or a free email address is a warning sign. Search the company name on its own and see whether any real business matches.
2. Check the official e-commerce portal
Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade runs an e-commerce management portal at online.gov.vn. Sellers that run sales websites are expected to notify the Ministry, and notified sites are meant to show a link back to the portal. Type the shop's web address into the portal and see whether it appears. A missing listing does not prove a scam, because some sellers sell only on large marketplaces. But a shop that claims to be registered and cannot be found there needs more questions.
3. Look at how old the website is
Many fake shops are only a few weeks old. Use a free domain lookup tool, often called a WHOIS search, to see when the web address was registered. A shop that says it has served customers for ten years but registered its domain last month is not telling the truth. Also check the address itself. Fakes often add extra words or odd endings to a famous brand name, such as a dash or a strange suffix.
4. Test the price
If the price is far below every other seller, ask why. A phone at half the normal price, or a famous brand at a clearance price all year, is bait. Compare the same item on two or three large shops. Real discounts exist, but they are usually modest and tied to a sale date. A countdown timer that resets every time you reload the page is a strong sign of a fake.
5. Read reviews the right way
Fake shops post glowing reviews, often all on the same day, often with similar wording and no photos from real buyers. Look for reviews on other websites and social media pages, not only on the shop's own page. Search the shop name with words like "scam" or "did not receive". Also look at the shop's social media page. A page with many followers but almost no real comments, or with comments turned off, deserves caution.
6. Choose a payment method you can undo
Be careful if a shop asks for a bank transfer to a personal account and offers no other choice. A transfer to a private person is hard to get back. Where possible, choose cash on delivery, which lets you check the parcel before you pay. A card payment through a known gateway, or a payment through a large marketplace that holds the money until delivery, gives you more protection. Never send the full amount up front to a seller you cannot verify.
What to do if you already paid
Act fast. Keep the screenshots, the order page, the chat messages and the payment receipt. Tell your bank or card provider at once and ask whether the payment can be stopped. Then report the shop to the local police and to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Do not pay any extra "release fee" to get your order out. That is a common second step of the same scam.
Slow down when a seller pushes you. Fake shops often say only two items are left, or that the offer ends in an hour. Close the page and come back later. A real shop will still be there, and the pressure will be gone. Write down the web address, the seller's phone number and the date of your order before you pay, so you have a record if anything goes wrong.
These checks reduce risk but cannot remove it. If two or more of the six signs show up, walk away. Another shop will sell you the same item.
General consumer information, not legal advice.
A place on this register is not for sale.