Behind the cheap price may be a trap

Be careful with cheap goods, check seller information carefully, seller accounts have high ratings, many positive comments

According to statistics site Statista, the increased dependence on e-commerce has opened up opportunities for bad actors to use increasingly sophisticated tactics, including fraud using artificial intelligence (AI) to defraud online shoppers (MSOL).

Cheat the black child

MSOL is popular in the following forms: on e-commerce platforms, websites with shopping functions and is now popular on social networks (SNS). According to Atlas VPN data based on the GoodFirms online survey, up to 47% of SNS users have been victims of fraud. According to the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV), a recent survey by the Forsa Polling Institute showed that in the past 2 years, out of 1,503 people aged 14 and over who are MSOL in Germany, 1 in 8 have been victims of fraud.

On online stores, there are more and more "cheating tricks", such as advertising good products at extremely attractive prices, but when sent to customers, the products are of poor quality or not as advertised. Taking advantage of the fact that MSOL only relies on trust between customers and account holders, while social networking platforms do not have strong enough sanctions to thoroughly handle incidents (at most, only locking accounts), scammers can easily take advantage. The most common is the situation of introducing eye-catching, attractive products, but when sent to buyers, the products are real but with significantly higher prices.

Online shopping scams are becoming more and more complex, making it easy for consumers to fall into traps. Photo: Le Tinh

Choose a reputable sales site

According to experts, consumers should only buy on reputable platforms, especially large e-commerce platforms with clear buyer protection policies. Only buy on genuine websites, certified by competent authorities and inspection organizations, with specific contact addresses and can be verified via phone numbers or hotlines. Be wary of cheap goods, carefully check seller information, have high ratings, many positive comments from customers. Only choose the form of checking before receiving the goods and paying when receiving the correct goods (COD). Prioritize accounts that have purchased before.

Currently, authorities in Vietnam have applied technology, including AI, to help consumers avoid online shopping risks and digital fraud.

A project by a group of 4 students from Swinburne University Vietnam has successfully researched and tested an AI tool that can identify and filter malicious and fake websites in just a few seconds. The website https://ai.chongluadao.vn/ can analyze directly from the website that the user is viewing to evaluate the safety (the user only needs to enter the URL of that website). This tool is led by cybersecurity expert Ngo Minh Hieu, Director of the Chongluadao.vn project. According to Mr. Hieu, the malicious website filtering tool implemented by the group of students with the knowledge and experience of the members of the Chongluadao.vn project has been completed, with an accuracy of more than 98%; people, businesses, and large corporations can experience and put it into use. Nordea experts also recommend that buyers should not search for promotional information using search engines on the internet because they can also be led to fraudulent websites. Be careful with email advertisements, do not click on any links in these emails, especially from unknown senders.

Several countries such as Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland have recorded low rates of online shopping fraud, as they have built strong legal and institutional frameworks and developed comprehensive cybersecurity strategies to combat cybercrime.

Thanks to awareness campaigns and public education on online fraud – with specific initiatives such as videos, infographics, the use of social media and cooperation between the state and platforms – consumers are increasingly better equipped to avoid fraud risks. Preventive measures from banks are an important part of fraud prevention in these countries.

Experts recommend that consumers use the Fraud Warning tool integrated in the VNeID application of the Ministry of Public Security to avoid being scammed. This feature also allows looking up fraudulent websites, as of early November 2025, data on 125,608 black websites with fake addresses has been collected.

Applying Zero Trust thinking

According to Dr. Philip Hung Cao - global lecturer on information security - founder and Director of Digital Trust of ZTX, the support of technology is important but consumers need to apply Zero Trust thinking (questioning authenticity) when participating in online activities, including online shopping activities. Do not trust immediately but always take the time to check, verify and cross-check information from many reputable sources before deciding to perform digital activities or behaviors. Only receive phone calls/text messages from known/verified people and do not receive from unknown numbers.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/dang-sau-gia-re-co-the-la-chiec-bay-196251108210354314.htm