I recently fell victim to a scam while shopping for home decor online. The short version is that I ordered a set of decorative wall panels and waited several months for them to be delivered. Despite the company's repeated assurances that my package was en route, nothing was ever delivered, and when I asked for my money back, they told me they couldn't refund my purchase unless I returned the goods — which would have been tricky to do since I never received them in the first place.
In the end, I disputed the transaction with my bank and was thankfully able to get my money back, but it got me thinking about how convincing shady brands can be these days. They often have professional-looking websites and good marketing, and it can be hard to tell what's a scam and what's legitimate — even for someone like me, whose whole job revolves around the internet. After my latest experience with a duplicitous brand, I did some research on how to spot online scams, and I'm passing along the best tips to you, in hopes it saves someone from the frustration I went through.
