Taobao is an excellent online marketplace where buyers can easily search for and order goods of all types under one easy-to-use interface. It’s become so successful and a part of hundreds of millions of users that it’s become a target prone to hackers and scammers who prey on stealing valuable information of buyers and sellers to then contact and steal money from innocent people. Recently, there have been more and more scams that target Taobao users into transferring funds.
Most recently, there has been a scam targeting Taobao users by contacting them over the phone or QQ. Scammers will pose as customer service representatives calling on behalf of a seller with personal information (your contact info) and hacked information (your order information) to let you know your order has run into a problem. Next, you will be told that your order cannot be completed due to irregularities in the payment and that you will have to file for a refund and place a reorder or else you will not be able to receive your order. This should be the first red flag.
After being contacted on the phone, whoever is attempting to scam you will speak with a lovely tone and try as best to stay on the line with you for as long as possible. This is another red flag. The majority of customer service agents in China are rushed, and for the most part, not likely to be so accommodating and patient over the phone. Next, the scammer will try to engage in learning more about your background and have you reveal personal information in order to distract you from whatever you are doing in order to remain on the line. In the meantime, you will be prompted to share your QQ contact and continue the conversation.
Next, you will be sent a link asking you to apply for a refund. This link may look identical to your Taobao account, but it may in fact be a spoofed link that asks you to enter your banking information. This is a major red flag, as Taobao sellers normally just directly send you a refund to your Alipay account. If you enter your banking information, the scammer will next request you to potentially reveal your secure bank token so that they may request money from you.
If you’ve gone this far and have common sense, you will definitely stop whatever you’re doing, knowing you are close to being compromised. Just think to yourself that if there really is a problem with your order, legitimate Taobao sellers are unlikely to directly call you and have you go through so much trouble just for a refund. Just hang up and ignore any of these calls. Do not reveal any information over the phone and remember that especially today, information is highly valuable. Always be aware of and on the lookout for potential scams. If you really have any questions, contact your Taobao seller directly and ask for clarification. Otherwise, just ignore any potential scam schemes.
