For a lot of working-class people, the time to go shopping for clothes and other household items may be a hassle. This is because their 8-5 jobs keep them busy and they just want to rest on the weekends.

 

With the advent of online vendors, you can say the stress of going to the market or shopping mall has been eliminated. You can simply order for whatever you want from a Facebook, Instagram page and get it delivered to your doorstep.

 

However, what has an advantage also has its disadvantages. With online vendors came online scammers with fake social media pages to defraud people of their hard-earned money.

 

So how can one detect a fake online vendor?

1. Check out the profile of the vendor

 

By checking the profile, you can see how long the page has been active on a platform. Have these kinds of questions in mind: When was the first photo of the product or service he or she provides advertised?. How many followers were able to get during this period of time?.

 

Fake online vendors may use pictures of products found online or someone else, instead of posting real pictures of their own merchandise that they snapped.

 

How often does he or she post on social media? This does not imply that a vendor with few followers is not authentic, but with social media the more you post the more your followers are likely to increase. A vendor who is always posting shows a level of tenacity and is likely to be authentic.

2. Look at for testimonials

Has this vendor ever posted a photo of a person they have sold their product to, or offered service. Well if all they do is post new stock and never post what they have done for others, then you should be very careful.

 

There is usually no trusted reviews from their clients available. Since they are fake, they really have no real customers making it impossible to find positive feedbacks online.

 

A vendor you want to buy from should show proof that they have made sales. They should be able to post photos and tag the customer and when these customers reply with a comment, it is an added advantage.

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3. Check out for character flaws

 

Usually, an online vendor would request you send a private message (DM) when you do watch out for anyone who is impatient. A lot of online scammers are always quick in their conversations.

 

Usually, they choose to hide their prices and want victims to enter their DMs where they can proceed to mislead them.

 

They have no time to answer your numerous questions about their products and services, they just want you to pay up with the promise that they will deliver. If an online vendor does not have time to chat or talk with you, then you should not trust them with your money.

4. Ask friends and acquaintances

 

You can ask your friends about their online vendors and buy from them. It is better to use such vendors because if they did not scam your friend, they are not going to scam you either.

5. Follow your instincts.

Your instincts have a way of telling you who is fake or real. So listen to your heart, and you will know if you are about to do the right thing. You should not just part with your resources. Think it through and even sleep over it, if you want.

 

If your money is valuable then you should be mindful of who you give it to online. The last thing you want is sending your money to a vendor who blocks your account after receiving the alert or sends substandard goods or renders poor service.

 

However, in case you fall into their trap, see how to recover your money from a scam vendor.

 

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