Virtual stores are rampant on e-commerce platforms

Taking advantage of the policy of not allowing customers to check goods when receiving them online, many virtual stores have recently flourished, attracting buyers on e-commerce platforms.

The fake wooden pieces are actually phones that the subjects packaged and shipped. Photo: Phu Tho Provincial Police

Be careful with virtual booths

Talking to Lao Dong reporter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet (Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi) said that last month she ordered some types of cosmetics of a famous brand on the e-commerce platform. Because she happened to see a booth with a 50% discount voucher, she immediately ordered it.

“Just when I wanted to buy cosmetics, I saw that the store on this e-commerce platform had tens of thousands of sales, posting products at prices cheaper than the listed price, advertising shocking discounts, and warehouse clearance. Seeing the product through the image and design, I placed an order worth more than 1 million VND. However, when I received the goods, I discovered that it was only a bottle of hair growth stimulating shampoo and I could not contact this store again,” said Ms. Tuyet.

Previously, Phu Tho Provincial Police arrested a group specializing in fraud and appropriation of promotional money on e-commerce platforms. The subjects confessed that they and their accomplices had set up virtual stores on online shopping applications to appropriate money from e-commerce platforms through discount and promotional codes.

The police agency determined that these subjects had set up a scam through many stages such as setting up a virtual booth, recruiting people to close virtual purchase orders, searching for discount codes, applying discount codes, requesting e-commerce platforms to place virtual purchase orders, packaging goods that did not match the description, colluding to deliver virtual goods to create fake documents to trick e-commerce platforms into transferring promotional money into buyers' accounts.

It is difficult to distinguish between real and virtual stores on e-commerce platforms. Photo: Thu Giang

Strengthening the filtering and control of virtual stores

The Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that currently, nearly 75% of internet users nationwide participate in online shopping for clothes, shoes, cosmetics, household appliances, technology and electronics, books, flowers, gifts and food.

These are the types of goods and services that are consumer most popular online shopping option. Mobile continues to be the primary means consumers use to place online orders (91%).

Also according to the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade), in 2024, the largest e-commerce platforms in Vietnam are expected to achieve revenue and sales exceeding 12.5 billion USD, marking an increase of 35% compared to 2023. This strong development has made the methods and tricks of violators and e-commerce fraud increasingly sophisticated.

Referring to this content, Ms. Vu Thanh Quynh - Communications Director of Shopee Vietnam - said that Shopee has also coordinated with the Vietnam E-commerce Association (Vecom) to implement a safe shopping initiative, helping consumers overcome the obstacles of anxiety when shopping online. Not only that, Shopee also implemented a joint online shopping program, which is a program that helps consumers check the goods when they buy them and helps them feel more secure.

According to Ms. Vu Thanh Quynh, when detecting fraudulent behavior, people need to immediately contact the consulting and consumer support hotlines of e-commerce sites or send a complaint to the Department of Competition and Consumer Protection (Ministry of Industry and Trade).

Source