In today's interconnected world, accessing goods and services is just a click away. As we approach the end of the year, the online shopping spree is on and folks everywhere are scouting the web and apps for those irresistible deals. Major retailers are dropping prices by up to 50 percent on various items, making it the perfect time to snag some steals. But in the midst of this shopping frenzy, scammers are also out in full force.

You spot a great deal online, make the purchase, pay, but the package never arrives. This could mean you've fallen for one of the common scamming schemes.

Ruth shared with JoyNews how her sister fell victim. She said her sister bought a dress online from a thrift plug. Mostly such vendors give customers the benefit of payment on delivery. Not this time. Ruth’s sister was told to pay before delivery and so she did, but she never got the dress and there was no trace of the thrift plug.

Others pay for something online and end up receiving either a counterfeit product or an entirely different item altogether. Kwaku knows this all too well and has made up his mind to never trust online vendors unless he personally knows them. He said he once ordered some items and though they weren’t damaged upon delivery, they weren’t the size he ordered so he just gave them to someone else.

“For online, if you no make your eye dey dier bossu dem go scam you. Say make I risk den buy from somebody wey I don’t know, that one you no go get me.” (You’ve got to be alert all the time while online. I won’t risk buying from a stranger online.)

Others have completely lost hope in online shopping using Ghanaian sites and only trust the internationally reputed sites because of their tight security measures and for the fear of being scammed.

“My first time shopping online was with Ali Express and it was okay. I haven’t tried Ghana online shopping before. I had this tracker where I could check wherever my order was anywhere in the world so I was alright.”

From January to October this year alone, more than 300 cases of online fraud involving almost GHȼ1m have been reported to the Cyber Security Authority. With Black Friday starting November 24, these were expected to go up.

Stephen Cudjoe-Seshie, an officer with the Cyber Security Authority shared with us some of the common schemes used by fraudsters and updated us on the latest scheme.

“Don’t just take that advertisement you see at face value. You need to check whether it’s a genuine business. One way to do this is to check if they have a physical store or office, at least where you could be able to engage them assuming you had an issue with whatever you bought and you need to return it. If the advertiser is unwilling to share this information, that’s a red flag. We also recommend you insist on payment on delivery to reduce the risk of theft.

“A new approach has come up in the last few months where some of these scammers will pick out a known brand that people are engaged in, create a Google map entry as if that location is theirs, and even attach contact numbers and boost that contact so it looks legitimate. When you do a search, that name or contact will pop up first and if you’re not very careful, you call that number, they’ll pretend they’re the shop or the brand they have impersonated, take the orders, tell you to make the payment, and then that’s it. They disappear.”

He said with this particular case, we all need to be mindful of the numbers that are there and try to check for reviews under the number because if someone has been scammed before, the chances are that he/she would have commented under the number. As you hunt for the best deals and browse online, remember to prioritise safety and verify the authenticity of offers. Happy shopping and stay vigilant!