Philippines has highest shopping scam rate among 11 Asian countries

[Lee]

We got scammed on Lazada once----we simply didn't receive what we ordered.

After some back and forth trying to resolve the issue, the seller and Lazada rep just quit responding to us.

Quote

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippines ranked the highest among the 11 Asian countries that were covered in the 2023 Asia Scam Report from the 1st Anti-Scam Asia Summit in Taipei, Taiwan. Data showed that the Philippines earned the 35.9-percent shopping scam rate, the highest among the 11 countries. The Global Anti Scam Alliance (Gasa) and Gogolook published the data based on 20,000 respondents across the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and China. The director of the Department of Information and Communications Technology in Central Visayas (DICT-7) acknowledged that the rate the country has earned is “a bit high.” “That means a lot of Filipinos are getting victimized, so that means that it’s really time that we, as consumers, should be more careful,” said DICT-7 Director Frederick Amores in an interview on Nov. 29. Warning to online shoppers With this, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos urged consumers to be careful when they purchase online in which Amores also agreed. “If it’s too good (the item online with their corresponding price) to be true, then most likely, you’ve been scammed. There are items you buy online which are unrealistic in terms of pricing. When you encounter those, I suggest [to] consumers, don’t buy them,” Amores said. Amores provided an example of a scenario when there was someone who complained that they bought a kilo of gold, noting that an ounce of gold is USD2,000, or equivalent to around P111,000. “[But] they bought a kilo of gold for P10,000. When they got the so-called gold, they went to a jewelry store or a pawnshop to have it pawned and it was not accepted, it was rejected. This person files a complaint [saying he got scammed],” he said. He noted that it was impossible to buy a kilo of gold for P10,000, hence it should have been an indication that it was a scam. High alert on holiday season On the other note, Amores also agreed to what the CICC executive director said that shopping scams usually increase during the Christmas season. “Holidays gani, mo-kiat sad ning mga scammer,” he said. He shared with CDN Digital that Amores himself had been a victim of scam when he purchased a side table during the holy week this year. Upon seeing the item’s look and design through an e-commerce platform, he got.

Philippines has highest shopping scam rate among 11 Asian countries (msn.com)

[Jack Peterson]

Let's face it The PI is Number one in ALL scams 

 

 

[Gator]

2 hours ago, Lee said:

We got scammed on Lazada once----we simply didn't receive what we ordered.

After some back and forth trying to resolve the issue, the seller and Lazada rep just quit responding to us.

Philippines has highest shopping scam rate among 11 Asian countries (msn.com)

To try and keep from being scammed the few times I’ve bought items from Lazada I use the COD option. Plus before paying the delivery driver I open and inspect the item to make I’ve gotten what I paid for. 

[Joey G]

5 hours ago, Lee said:

Amores provided an example of a scenario when there was someone who complained that they bought a kilo of gold, noting that an ounce of gold is USD2,000, or equivalent to around P111,000. “[But] they bought a kilo of gold for P10,000. When they got the so-called gold, they went to a jewelry store or a pawnshop to have it pawned and it was not accepted, it was rejected. This person files a complaint [saying he got scammed],” he said. He noted that it was impossible to buy a kilo of gold for P10,000, hence it should have been an indication that it was a scam.

If this is the primary example they can come up with... Sounds like they are No.1 in another category.

[Mike J]

10 hours ago, Lee said:

“That means a lot of Filipinos are getting victimized, so that means that it’s really time that we, as consumers, should be more careful,” said DICT-7 Director Frederick Amores in an interview on Nov. 29

I agree that something too good to believe is likely a scam and buyer beware.  But I am also disturbed that there is not a word in the article about what law enforcement or authorities/agencies should be doing to protect consumers.   Scammers will continue to thrive in an environment with no oversight or rules.  

[Possum]

3 hours ago, Mike J said:

But I am also disturbed that there is not a word in the article about what law enforcement or authorities/agencies should be doing to protect consumers.   Scammers will continue to thrive in an environment with no oversight or rules.  

Agree. Consumer protection is not a priority here. Additionally, the online marketplace platforms do not screen potential fraud and in my personal experience allow known scammers to continue to operate.

[hk blues]

If the stats are to be believed then 1 in 3 of us are scammed when doing online purchases.  I'd be interested in seeing if that's really accurate - I've been "scammed' once in 8 years and who-knows how many purchases.  Even that one time It was more a case of clever wording on the add and me making a wrong assumption.  I think I'm more representative than 1-in-3.  

Perhaps it is more a case of a fair few dodgy websites and a fair few dodgy people using them here compared to other places.  The example (correctly noted by Joey G) is hardly a typical online transaction.

[craftbeerlover]

I use lazada almost religiously, and have only been scammed once.  A vast of my purchases are repeat purchases from the same seller, e.g., Coffee and beer.   If there are no or very few reviews I immediately pass.   The one scam was Olive Oil, from "S&R" in my haste I did not look to see it was being shipped from overseas (china).   Instead of 5 Liters of Olive Oil, I received a few baby wipes hahahaha... I contacted Lazada customer support and was immediately issued a refund. 

 

Edited December 2, 2023 by craftbeerlover

[craftbeerlover]

6 hours ago, hk blues said:

If the stats are to be believed then 1 in 3 of us are scammed when doing online purchases.  I'd be interested in seeing if that's really accurate - I've been "scammed' once in 8 years and who-knows how many purchases.  Even that one time It was more a case of clever wording on the add and me making a wrong assumption.  I think I'm more representative than 1-in-3.  

Perhaps it is more a case of a fair few dodgy websites and a fair few dodgy people using them here compared to other places.  The example (correctly noted by Joey G) is hardly a typical online transaction.

Scams,or borderline scams, are almost part of the DNA here

[scott h]

36 minutes ago, craftbeerlover said:

Scams,or borderline scams, are almost part of the DNA here

Unless you are a relative or batchmate you are considered fair game to rip off....

And if you are a relative or batchmate, anything you "borrow" might be paid back.................eventually............maybe..........you can hope...........