When Jasmine saw an online advertisement for a $140 tumble dryer from Aldi, she thought it was a bargain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was just what the Sydney woman, who asked we change her name, needed for the house she had recently moved into.<\/p>\n
But the tumble dryer never arrived \u2014 she had fallen for a scam.<\/p>\n
“I feel dumb,” the 31-year-old told ABC News.<\/p>\n
“I’ve always been conscious and cautious about online scams.”<\/p>\n
The part-time worker at a veterinary clinic had been caught out by a ‘clone’ website, where a fraudulent site impersonates a legitimate brand.<\/p>\n
“I put keywords on Google and kept scrolling down, and stumbled upon this dryer shown on Aldi,” Jasmine said.<\/p>\n
“It [the website] looked so convincing, and I put the dryer in my cart and paid for it with Apple Pay because I didn’t want to put my bank details in.<\/p>\n
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Jasmine thought her dryer was on the way.\u00a0 (Supplied)<\/p>\n
“I even checked with my co-worker before ordering, asking her, ‘Do you think this site looks legit?’, and she said, ‘Yes.'”<\/p>\n
At the time Jasmine bought the dryer, she was asked to download a tracking app after the payment was made.<\/p>\n
Four days later, Jasmine discovered that the website from which she had purchased the dryer could not be reached.<\/p>\n
Online shoppers may have come across fake websites for brands that do not exist at all, but the National Anti-Scam Centre described ‘clone’ websites as a distinct type of scam.<\/p>\n
“Clone shopping websites closely mimic the look and branding of legitimate retailers to deceive consumers, whereas fake websites may not replicate a real brand but still operate with the intent to scam,” it said.<\/p>\n
Have you had a similar experience with scams or do you know more about scams? Confidentially contact our journalist on li.yiying<\/a>@abc.net.au<\/a><\/p>\n The watchdog urged consumers to always verify the people they were dealing with before taking any action.\u00a0<\/p>\n Google removes ads after questions<\/p>\n As recently as last week, a Google search showed half of the sponsored tumble dryers on the top of the page were from fraudulent websites.<\/p>\n The advertisements had been removed after the ABC approached Google for comment.<\/p>\n Half of the sponsored tumble dryers showed on Google last week were from fraudulent websites.\u00a0 (ABC News: Yiying Li)<\/p>\n An Aldi spokesperson said the company was aware of “some websites impersonating ALDI” and it had been “actively pursuing their removal to protect our customers”.<\/p>\n “We have been in contact with the ACCC and its National Anti-Scam Centre, and we are working with organisations like Google to remove potential avenues that scammers are exploiting,” the spokesperson told the ABC.<\/p>\n “DoorDash is the only platform that sells ALDI supermarket products online in Australia.” Nearly $40 million in financial losses from online shopping scams have been reported since 2020.\u00a0 (ABC News: Cason Ho)<\/p>\n Google Shopping ads are served up to customers in search results, often featuring at the top of the page and showcasing product images, prices and a link to purchase.<\/p>\n The search engine giant told ABC News it was committed to protecting its clients from scams.<\/p>\n “Protecting users is our top priority and we have strict shopping ads policies that govern the types of shopping ads we allow on the platform,” a Google spokesperson said.<\/p>\n “If we find shopping ads that violate these policies, we swiftly remove them.”<\/p>\n He said in this instance, the team investigated and removed the shopping advertisements flagged, as well as taking action against the advertiser accounts behind them, for violating policies.<\/p>\n Nearly $40 million in financial losses have been reported from online shopping scams since 2020.\u00a0 (AAP: Joel Carrett)<\/p>\n Online shopping \u2014 the most reported scam type<\/p>\n Thuy Pham-Henderson, a marketing lecturer at UWA Business School, said online shopping scams were alarmingly common and under-reported in Australia.<\/p>\n “Under-reporting is common \u2014 victims may feel embarrassed or assume nothing can be done, so a lot of scams fly under the radar.”<\/p>\n Buying or selling scams, including false billing and online shopping scams, were the most common, affecting about 308,000 Australians in 2023-24, according to William Milne, head of crime statistics at the Australian Bureau of Statistics.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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