Did you know? Switzerland is a country of online shopping: according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, almost three out of four people in Switzerland have purchased at least one item via the Internet in the last three months. We even make it into the top 5 of most avid online-shopping countries in Europe. Besides reputable suppliers you’ll also find Internet fraudsters online. So how do you avoid becoming a victim of Internet fraud? We’ll show you three typical scam tactics and give you advice on how to protect yourself.

Disappointed with product quality once the parcel has arrived

At first glance, everything looks great – the nice outfit that you want to wear to a wedding was photographed professionally and it’s also really cheap. But there’s a nasty surprise: the quality of the purchased product isn’t what was advertised and leaves a lot to be desired when you try it on. What happens with clothes also applies to other products. The biggest disadvantage to online shopping is that you can’t look at, touch or try on the product: you have to rely on pictures and descriptions of the product.

This is why due caution is advised when shopping online. Fake shops entice people with fake products and that scratch on the back of the device hasn’t even been photographed for the online auction. Online shops such as Wish, Temu or Aliexpress  are becoming even more popular but can lead to disappointment: sometimes the ordered products look different to what was shown on the pictures. Caution in terms of sizes is also advised when you’re ordering from abroad as a medium (M) in China could certainly be a extra small (XS) size in Switzerland. 

You didn’t order anything but you still get an invoice in your letter box: identity theft and order fraud.

Online orders on account are popular in Switzerland. And that’s exactly the problem. Even if the second scam tactic sounds like something out of a Hollywood action thriller: it is more real and commonplace than you might think. We’re talking about identity theft and order fraud. Most of the time a few pieces of personal data will do it: an e-mail address, name and maybe a date of birth is enough to be able to open a customer account and carry out the order on account on behalf of someone else. Fraudsters receive the parcels and pay nothing. You can call it identity theft if this kind of Internet fraud happens frequently.

The order never arrives

You’ve ordered new speakers on the Internet and are looking forward to receiving your parcel. But the item never arrives. It’s a very frustrating problem as the cause is often unclear.

Parcel theft is currently very widespread: parcels may be stolen from your letter box or by your front door. Almost every day, one person will submit a report to the police in the city of Zurich due to theft of a parcel. But parcel theft is not always the issue. Fraudsters sometimes offer products they don’t actually have and then never send anything, particularly on online market places.

You too can shop carefree online

Don’t worry – shopping online should still be fun. You won’t always fall prey to Internet fraud. It’s always worth saving the documents that detail your purchases and transactions. Save the order confirmations and receipts on your computer as PDFs or take screenshots of the purchases.

Fraudsters are everywhere, even online. Buy from trustworthy online shops and select secure payment methods. We also recommend you follow these tips to protect yourself against attempted fraud.