Online shopping is a convenient and popular form of shopping today. With many benefits such as saving time, convenience, and a wide variety of products, online shopping is becoming increasingly popular among consumers. However, shoppers need to be aware of the risks and drawbacks of online shopping, such as buying counterfeit or low-quality goods, or even being scammed, as online fraud is becoming more common.
Lose real money, receive fake goods.
Mr. Hoang Tran Thanh, residing in Ha Phong ward (Ha Long City), is a frequent online shopper on major e-commerce platforms due to its convenience and competitive prices. However, recently, he has been constantly bothered by calls from people impersonating delivery personnel.
Mr. Thanh shared: "I don't understand how they knew I was waiting for an order. They called at the exact moment I or my family members were busy, informing me that the goods had arrived and asking me to transfer money in advance or pick them up immediately. Once, because I was busy, I hastily transferred the money, and then they even tricked me into clicking on a link to confirm the order. Luckily, I was alert at that moment, otherwise I would have lost much more than the initial small amount. But a friend of mine in Cam Pha was also scammed out of nearly 2 million dong in this way."
Accordingly, the tactic of scammers impersonating delivery drivers is usually to call during business hours, when customers are busy with work and most likely to be off guard. The Criminal Police Department (Provincial Police) reported that in January 2025, they received a report from Ms. S (the victim's name has been changed), born in 1991, residing in Quang Yen town, regarding being scammed out of over 500 million VND by someone impersonating a delivery driver.
Specifically, at the end of December 2024, Ms. S received a call from the phone number 0353709963. The caller, who introduced himself as Tài, a delivery driver, informed her that she had an order for acne medication worth 260,000 VND. Trusting the caller, Ms. S asked her mother-in-law, Ms. M, also residing in Quang Yen town, to transfer the money to account number 9379403691 under the name Nguyen Van Dat, as provided by the caller. Two days later, Tài called Ms. S to inform her that he had mistakenly sent the money to the wrong account number belonging to Giao Hang Tiet Kiem (Economical Delivery Company). The 260,000 VND Ms. S transferred was considered a membership registration fee, and since Ms. S had become a member, Tài was suspended from work for one week and asked Ms. S to help him cancel his membership card. Immediately afterward, someone claiming to be the warehouse owner contacted Ms. S to inquire about the incident and instructed her on how to cancel her membership card. The perpetrators used various tactics, such as demanding fines, requiring security deposits, and notifying her of incorrect money transfer syntax, to trick Ms. S into making multiple transfers to various accounts totaling over 500 million VND, which they then misappropriated. Upon realizing she had been scammed, Ms. S reported the incident to the Criminal Investigation Department ( Quang Ninh Provincial Police).
According to the Criminal Police Department, impersonating delivery personnel to commit fraud and steal property is not a new tactic; however, many people, due to a lack of vigilance, still fall victim to these individuals. In many cases, these fraudsters have stolen very large sums of money.
As a frequent online shopper, Ms. Nguyen Thi Chung from Hong Hai ward (Ha Long City) often buys goods through livestream programs and social media advertisements. However, her experiences haven't always been smooth. "I once ordered a handbag through a livestream; the advertised image was beautiful, but when I received it, the color and material were completely different. When I complained, they not only refused to exchange or return it but also ignored me and even blocked my account. Now, every time I buy something online, I'm more hesitant because I don't know the truth and I usually choose items with reasonable prices," Ms. Chung said.
Nowadays, selling and buying goods through livestreaming on social media platforms is attracting increasing attention from buyers. With the strengths and outstanding development of e-commerce platforms and the demand for quick access to goods, livestream selling has become a booming industry, creating opportunities for many people to thrive in the livestreaming business. Browsing social media platforms, consumers can easily find celebrities and influencers from various fields livestreaming sales. Some live sessions have even achieved record-breaking sales figures of billions of Vietnamese dong.
However, this also comes with significant challenges. In recent days, information about celebrities livestreaming and falsely advertising products has caused a stir on social media. Through livestreaming sales channels, consumers clearly make purchasing decisions based on the belief that artists, celebrities, KOLs, and KOCs (terms referring to people with significant influence on social media) will only collaborate with large brands and offer quality products. However, this is not entirely true. Many products are sold, but the celebrities themselves have never used or experienced the products, or even fully understand the ingredients, origin, and uses of the products… they only advertise and promote them according to a pre-prepared script.
Be a smart consumer.
A survey by McKinsey & Company shows that from 2023 to the end of January 2025, 70-80% of consumers began experimenting with online shopping, with many using this type of shopping for the first time. Although online shopping offers many conveniences such as saving time, a wide variety of goods, and competitive prices, many consumers still have concerns because this method also has limitations such as the inability to directly try the product, the inability to check its origin and quality, and the long waiting times for delivery. In reality, there have been many cases of consumers losing money and receiving counterfeit or low-quality goods.
Therefore, when shopping online, consumers should be cautious about items that are cheaper than their true value. There may be promotions or discounts, but always remember to ask for detailed product information. Require the store to provide clear information about any potential issues and how they will be handled during the transaction, especially regarding warranty, returns, and refunds. Furthermore, market researchers advise against transferring large sums of money before receiving the goods. After receiving the goods, buyers should save information such as the order confirmation code and payment receipt in case of any loss or error.
One crucial precaution when buying online is the need to protect your personal information. If the seller asks for your PIN, bank OTP, or other personal information unrelated to the transaction, immediately stop the transaction and verify your identity. This could be a sign of fraud.
In the process of information globalization, livestreaming and e-commerce have become indispensable parts of social life. The theme for Vietnam's Consumer Rights Day 2025 is "Transparent Information - Responsible Consumption," aiming to raise awareness of consumer protection against risks and sophisticated fraudulent schemes. In particular, it supports the business activities of legitimate production and trading enterprises; while ensuring the basic rights of consumers, especially the right to access information transparently and safely.
Therefore, along with the strengthening of strict management of online sales activities by relevant authorities, first and foremost, each consumer should protect themselves when shopping online by proactively improving their understanding of online information security and cybersecurity, and choosing safe shopping platforms and shipping companies. When detecting signs of fraud, people should remain calm, not continue to comply with the demands of the perpetrators, and at the same time notify the nearest police station for guidance on handling the situation according to regulations.
Duy Khoa
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