3 tips to beat bad 'budols' and online scammers this holiday and beyond

MANILA, Philippines — Is retail therapy a guilty pleasure of yours too? We feel you.

Whether you are adding items to your online shopping cart or just casually scrolling through your Facebook and Instagram feed to find the best budols, there is this certain satisfaction and emotional boost you get from “rewarding” yourself by making purchases.

However, our love for the best promos and steals we find online can sometimes lead us to the terrible kind of budol: getting scammed by sketchy sellers! We have all experienced receiving spam text messages or calls. But in this digital age, scammers are now more creative and their tricks are harder to bust.

Especially during holidays when everyone is spending their savings, Christmas bonuses, and 13th-month pay to buy gifts for themselves and their loved ones, scammers are on the lookout for their next victims, and we better get ahead of them.

Before making any purchase or paying something, GCash wants to remind you that it is always wise to #GCheckmuna to ensure that every purchase is safe and sulit!

Here’s a #GChecklist to remember whenever you buy stuff online.

1. #GCheckMuna the seller reviews 

From beautifully made FB pages to websites and e-stores that use stolen logos, many scammers have already achieved the looks of a legitimate business. What they could never imitate, however, are legit seller reviews.

When buying an item from an online seller, the best way to ensure you are getting the real thing is by checking the product reviews and seeing how customers received the item and what condition it came in.

On e-store platforms, you can read through the review section and see how satisfied people are with their service. One red flag to look out for is when reviews have copy-pasted comments because these are usually from bots or fake accounts.

2. #GCheckMuna when the account was made

Another factor to consider is the seller’s online account history because most accounts of fake sellers are newly made.

Because it’s easy to report an account or publicly call out an online scammer, many of them keep making new profiles as a backup to continue their scamming activity. This makes it important to check how old an account is in every transaction with an online seller. A freshly made account may be a clear sign that you’re dealing with a scammer.

On Facebook, you can check the history of an online store, its creation date, and all the times it has been renamed by simply visiting the page and clicking Page Transparency.

3. #GCheckMuna the seller

If you don’t recognize the online store you are purchasing from, it is always best to search about the seller to see other pages they may have or other reviews that people may have posted about them.

For stores on Facebook and Instagram, make time to check comments on their posts or any complaints people posted in their social media profile. As to sketchy profile pictures, you can try copying their image into Google Images to see if their photo has been used elsewhere.

Apart from background checks, always try to sense sketchiness whenever you chat with the seller. Scammers like to move fast and they would probably pressure you to make a purchase and send them payment right away.

Other important GCash tips to remember:

• Remember that a seller asking you to provide MPIN or OTP is a clear red flag. OTPs are for your use and you must never share this information with anyone. Enabling log-in biometrics is also ideal to help you veer away from using MPIN.
   
• GCash transactions are reflected in real-time in the app. Always take a screenshot of the payment transaction of your purchase so you’ll have a backup to show that payment has been made.
   
• If you encounter problems with any of the payment platforms you are using, always go to official channels to get the right help. GCash, for example, provides users with all the assistance they need within the app. Go to the Help Center to find quick answers to your concerns.

Always #GCheckMuna to avoid bad budol!

Holiday season or not, scammers will always be there waiting for their next victim.

Mark yourself safe from their dirty tactics by making the #GChecklist a part of every online purchase you will be making. Magpa-budol wisely, and when in doubt, always remember to #GCheckMuna!