Receiving Fake Pokémon Cards & 6 Other Times M'sians Got Scammed When Shopping Online
"I bought a collection of Pokémon cards from a random seller online, only to find out that all of them were fake."
Published for Ninja Van Malaysia, 03 Dec 2021, 11:50 AM
1. "My dad ordered a WiFi extender, because our house WiFi had a weak signal. But it came as an empty plastic box instead."
"My house WiFi couldn't reach my brother's room, so my dad decided to order a WiFi extender, which cost RM200.
"Once the thing was delivered, it was basically just an empty plastic box that was made to look like a 'device'. My brother ended up going online to search about the seller and that's when all the scam comments came in. Other people were also complaining about the same product and naming it a scam.
"Since the incident, I now check my dad's online shopping cart, before letting him make his payment."
- Jean, 24
2. "I received a soundbar that had a major defect. Never in my life did I think I would get trolled so hard via face-to-face trade."
"I have done many Cash On Delivery (COD) trades in my lifetime and got scammed once about eight to ten years ago.
"I bought a secondhand soundbar from this guy on an online forum for RM200. Met the guy at KL Sentral, exchanged the goods and money, and then went home.
"But turns out the soundbar had a major defect. And the guy deleted his account and blocked my number. Had to go through the trouble to send it back to the manufacturer and pay RM50 to fix it.
"Since then, I'm quite apprehensive of buying secondhand electronics stuff that I can't test on the spot, even if it's COD."
- Ronn, 36
3. "My cousin bought an external hard disk online, 'cause it was cheap. He ended up receiving a 'hard disk' that only had a pendrive inside."
"My cousin got scammed when he ordered a cheap external hard disk online.
"He bought it, 'cause it was cheap. It worked once, then it suddenly stopped working so he brought it to my husband who is an IT expert to check.
"Turns out these types of cheap 'hard disks' are just pendrives inside. When you shake it, you can hear the pendrive rattling around."
- Alyssa, 25
4. "The pots I purchased came in a different material and size. I felt completely scammed, weih."
"The pots I purchased for my plants turned out different from what was displayed on the product page. Both the material and size were different from what was stated. I complained to the seller, but she did not respond to my message. I brought up the issue to the e-commerce's customer service, but they were not helpful too.
"Although I didn't spend much on the pots, the issue is that the seller should have been more ethical. She should have at least added a disclaimer, mentioning that the product was not as advertised.
"Since that incident, I now ask sellers to send me pictures of the actual product, to ensure it's the same as shown in the product page."
- SY, 29
5. "I bought a collection of Pokémon cards from a random seller online. But then, I found out later that all of them were fake."
"I bought some Pokémon cards online, and they were really cheap, like RM10. But back then, I didn't have much knowledge about buying or selling cards yet, and the pictures weren't really clear.
"So, by the time I got the cards and paid for them, I realised all of them were fake. Since then, I try to only buy cards from trusted sellers. Some I still do COD, but I make sure to vet them within the Pokémon card selling community in Malaysia."
- Jeremy, 27
6. "The buyer told me he 'accidentally' banked in RM500. So, in a state of panic, I refunded him and ended up losing money."
"I listed a product for sale on an e-commerce site, and this person who was interested asked to chat via WhatsApp instead of using the app's chat function.
"After a round of discussion, he claimed he banked in the money. And I received an email that looked like it was from a bank.
"But he also told me that he 'accidentally' banked in RM500 for my product that was actually RM50. He claimed he was living overseas and requested that I respond to the email.
"I was young, dumb, and naive, so I refunded him RM450, when in fact he didn't bank in any money to me at all. And then I received another email that stated he banked in more money. I panicked, and immediately asked for help from my friend, who then told me I got scammed. And that another friend of mine also got scammed the same way before."
- Janice, 22
7. "My husband called, said that a courier service was going to deliver an item soon. He asked me to prepare RM279 because it was COD. I was confused."
"Ninja Van delivery abang called my husband to say there was a parcel going to be delivered. He's not an avid shopper like me, so I asked him what he bought. Sounding excited, he said it was a watch, adding that the price was over RM1,000 before the sale.
"I thought to myself that it was cheap, but why COD? When the delivery man arrived, I asked him if I could open the package before paying. He said that according to courier procedure, I couldn't, and I was okay with it.
"The delivery man then told me that cross-border items like the watch my husband ordered are usually from scammers, and asked me to inspect it. I shook the box and confirmed that there was nothing inside. I told the delivery man I won't be accepting it, and he was cooperative about it.
"Alhamdulillah, Allah moved me to not accept the package. Thank you to the Ninja Van employee as well for being concerned about the parcel."
- Norashikin, 29
Knowing that scams, especially those related to COD, are on the rise, Ninja Van Malaysia is committed to preventing them from taking place
With close to two million parcels delivered every day in Southeast Asia, the tech-enabled express logistics company not only delivers to homes locally, but does overseas shipping as well.
Having such a strong standing in Southeast Asia, Ninja Van Malaysia is holding their ground against COD scams via numerous measures, such as pulling back scam orders, refunding all items, and ceasing partnership with online scammers.
However, the fight against COD scams is not easy for the logistics company.
When it comes to COD scams, Ninja Van Malaysia does not actually have direct contact with these scammers, most of whom are from overseas. More often than not, these scammers usually send their COD parcels via freight forwarders, who then assign the delivery to Ninja Van Malaysia.
While Ninja Van Malaysia typically offers refunds for customers who get scammed, COD scams still pose a threat for many other Malaysians.
Other than taking their own measures to prevent COD scams, Ninja Van Malaysia is also raising awareness and making public announcements to educate both shoppers and sellers on how to spot a COD scam
In fact, Ninja Van Malaysia has shared some simple and practical pointers to help shoppers avoid falling for COD scams.
Here are a few tips shared by the courier company:
- Be wary of items that are sold at a very low price. The rule of thumb is that if the price is too good to be true, then it usually is.
- If you have ordered a COD parcel, make sure everyone at home is aware of it. Otherwise, no one should accept or pay for any COD parcel.
- Do your homework and ensure that the seller is established and trusted. You can do so by looking through their reviews and doing more research about the company to ensure it is legitimate.
- Keep track of all your purchases. Do not accept parcels or items that you are not expecting, especially if you have to pay for it.
If you do come across suspicious parcels or payment requests, make sure to reject the delivery and report the scam to Ninja Van Malaysia via their hotline at +6011-17000400 or email at [email protected].
Find out more about COD scams and what Ninja Van Malaysia is doing about it on their YouTube channel here
