Consumer product fraud includes online shopping scams, subscription traps and phishing.
In a typical case of online shopping fraud, a product not actually held by the seller is made available for sale, the seller has no intention to deliver the product or the seller delivers a wrong product.
Marketing messages may be intended to use various questions or participation requests to obtain confidential information, spread malware or tie the respondent to unreasonable agreement terms. The question may be of miracle products that come with empty promises concerning their effects. Often a cheap one-off offer leads to a subscription trap, in which the buyer is tied to an unwanted long-term subscription.
Marketing can be carried out in the name of a well-known company, or a trademark can be linked to inappropriate contexts. Websites and URLs, as well as the message layout and the sender’s information, may be nearly identical to those of the original party.
Read more about consumer product fraud as a phenomenon.
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<li class="attention-block__content"><strong>Before making purchases in an online shop, stop</strong> and ask yourself the following questions: Does the offer sound too good to be true? Do I really need to respond urgently? Is the message content otherwise suspicious? Is the message written appropriately with good grammar? The quality of counterfeit products is not often as high as in the original product, and such products may even be hazardous to health.</li>
<li class="attention-block__content"><strong>Acquaint yourself with the online shop and its delivery terms</strong> before ordering. Identify other consumers’ experiences in the online shop. Do not let the website’s language fool you – a Finnish site can be based in any country.</li>
<li class="attention-block__content"><strong>Beware of subscription traps</strong> and make sure whether the subscription is continuous when you are offered something for free or only at the price of postage. You may also end up in a trap by participating in online prize draws, competitions or questionnaires. In a subscription trap, you are misled to entering into a long-term subscription agreement, based on which invoices are sent to you or an amount is charged repeatedly from your account. File a complaint with the company without any delay.</li>
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<li class="attention-block__content"><strong>Identify high-risk products.</strong> Typical irregularities relating to the consumer products trade include the misuse of country-of-origin labelling, fraud related to alcohol, tobacco and car imports, as well as subscription traps associated with distance selling.</li>
<li class="attention-block__content"><strong>Verify the product’s origin.</strong> Falsifying the origin of foodstuffs is the most common form of food fraud in Finland.</li>
<li class="attention-block__content"><strong>Contact the authorities</strong> if you suspect a shadow economy element to be involved in imports or exports.</li>
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<p>Read more about consumer scams (<a href="https://www.kkv.fi/en/consumer-affairs/scams/">kkv.fi [.fi]›</a>) on the website of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA). They include:</p>
<p><img src="/link/bfd9aa9bed0542e7b446eb660e2f2309.aspx" alt="Subscription traps, Online shopping scams, Miracle products, Phishing: gift card and prize draw scams, fake package tracking messages or arrival notices, customer surveys, and various questionnaires offering fees, Charity scams, Business and investment scams, Holiday club and timeshare scams" width="800" height="258" /></p>
<p>Additional information on Europol's website: <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/operations-services-and-innovation/public-awareness-and-prevention-guides/take-control-of-your-digital-life-don%E2%80%99t-be-victim-of-cyber-scams">Take control of your digital life. Do not be victim of cyber scams</a>.</p>
Act correctly to combat the shadow economy and financial crime
