E-commerce Frauds

Deepfakes to social media: Online shopping scams spike this festive season

McAfee's Global Festive Shopping Survey found a rise in online shopping scams led by the creation of fraudulent websites, fake discounts, and the use of deepfakes

Struggling with fake reviews on e-com websites? Govt planning regulations

In a meeting held on May 15, the Consumer Affairs Department noted that the presence of fake reviews on e-commerce platforms jeopardises the trustworthiness and credibility of shopping platforms

Fraudsters swiped millions of dollars by faking product refunds: Amazon

The lawsuit lists more than a dozen transactions from June 2022 to May 2023 as leading to fraudulent refunds. Items purchased include gaming consoles, smartphones, laptops

Centre seeks public comments on draft guidelines on dark patterns

The government has sought public comments on draft guidelines for prevention and regulation of "dark patterns" which are nothing but tactics used by online players to deceive customers or manipulate their choices. The draft guidelines, issued by the Consumer Affairs Ministry, list various deceptive practices being adopted by online platforms in the nature of dark patterns which are against the interests of consumers. The ministry has sought public comments/suggestions on the draft guidelines within 30 days till October 5, an official statement said. According to the draft guidelines, "dark patterns" are defined as any practices or deceptive design patterns using UI/UX (user interface/user experience) interactions on any platform; designed to mislead or trick users to do something they originally did not intend or want to do; by subverting or impairing the consumer autonomy, decision making or choice; amounting to misleading advertisement or unfair trade practice or violation of ...

Consumer affairs dept asks online platforms to not use 'dark patterns'

The Consumer Affairs dept advised online platform to not engage in 'unfair trade practices' by incorporating dark patterns in their online interface to manipulate consumer choice

57% of all fraud incidents in India are 'platform' frauds: PwC India

Over 26 per cent of Indian organisations have lost over $1 million till now due to platform fraud, according to a report released by PwC India

UP tops list as e-commerce complaints record 300% spike in last 5 years

Consumer complaints related to the e-commerce sector have recorded a spike in the last few years as the total number of complaints witnessed a significant rise of over 300% during the last 5 years

In festive season, fraud app installations touch new high: Study

Advertising frauds are not limited to apps and their numbers and usage

Top headlines: Govt says farm reforms will continue, fraud apps gain users

The Centre's push to phase out kerosene is a work in progress, a decade after the move towards rationalising the allocation of the fuel to states. Read more in today's top headlines

Currently investigating use of platform for sourcing marijuana, says Amazon

E-commerce major Amazon India on Monday said it is currently investigating an issue, wherein its platform was allegedly used to source marijuana. On Saturday, an online marijuana sale racket was busted by Bhind police in Madhya Pradesh, leading to the arrest of two persons and seizure of 20 kilograms of the contraband, according to an official. The accused were operating the racket through a leading e-commerce firm, which received two-thirds of the profits generated, as per the official. Evidence is being collected to see if it could be prosecuted for providing a platform for such drug transactions, the official added. The issue was notified to us, and we are currently investigating it. We assure full co-operation and support required to Investigating Authorities and Law Enforcement agencies with ongoing investigations to resolve the issue at the earliest, an Amazon spokesperson said. Bhind Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh said on a tip-off, Kallu Pawaiya (30) and Dhaba

Some states fear proposed e-commerce rules will hurt jobs, MSME: Report

Some states fear there could be a negative impact on jobs and market access for MSMEs created by various digital platforms in recent years

Chinese hackers targeted Indians with e-shopping scams, says report

The hackers created bogus links and asked internet users to click on them to participate in online contests and win prizes

Amazon downgrades 20,000 product reviews to fight false ratings: Report

The investigation revealed that Amazon Fryer, the top judge on Amazon.co.uk, gave his five-star approval an average of once every four hours

UP Police to expand cyber crime wings following spurt in online frauds

Senior police officials instructed to complete the preliminary rollout of the cyber cells by October 15

The rising threat of e-commerce frauds

Be cautious when purchasing from little-known websites