The growth of online markets undoubtedly signifies a significant shift in consumer shopping behaviour and preference. In other words, more buyers are turning to online sellers and providers.
Ease of purchase, majorly done through electronic bank transfer, product availability, and the offer of varieties apparently form part of the allure of online markets.
A major contributor to this expansion is Social Media. Providers deploy social media marketing to achieve wider customer reach, advertise merchandise, provide information, and other value chain activities. Good as it sounds, scammers have taken advantage of the growing social media popularity to display non-existent products and services, basically in their bid to swindle unsuspecting consumers. Many consumers have indeed fallen victims to online social media business scam.
Here are ways to spot a fake social media profile
Do a background check
If you are interacting with a person or a provider for the first time, do run a background check. Search the business name or person on search engines. Scrutinise the search results as doing so may give you an insight into who you are dealing with.
Huge followers, little engagements
Fake business or personal accounts with large number of followers abound across various social media platforms. Scammers are wont to send friends’ request to as many unfamiliar persons as they can, to give invalid impression that they have a huge clientele base or genuineness.
But, in reality, most of those on the friend’s list, usually, are no less strangers than you are. Therefore, do not be swayed by the sheer friends’ number. Instead, check what they are saying in the comment section. If it is not about the product, service, a review or even complaint, then there is a possibility the account is fake.
Match followers against engagement
It is expected that a seller or provider with, let’s say, 10,000 followers will have appreciable number of customer engagements. To find the comment section bare or having quite negligible responses is a danger sign flicker.
Profile identification
A personal/business profile having different unrelated tag posts, or possessing more foreigners than locals in its friends/customers’ list presents a red flag. It is also common to read fake testimonials deliberately published by the page owner to hoodwink uninitiated consumers.
Locked Comment Section
A phoney personal or business page can sometimes have its comment section locked by its owner. In most instances, a page owner who restricts its followers’ tends to stave off unflattering comments that could ignite a suspicion.
Unbelievable discount, low cost
Fake sellers tend to offer incredulous discount or sell at extremely low cost than you will find of the same product elsewhere. They mouth-watering deal is merely a bait to attract and eventually swindle unknowing consumer.