Shopping in online stores has become a common practice for many, and statistics show that the number of online shoppers is growing annually, as it is fast and convenient, public media reports. But is it always safe?
The Consumer Rights Protection Center (CRPC) notes that to attract buyers in Latvia, fraudsters are using artificial intelligence to create appealing websites with Latvian names; however, sellers are often located outside the EU, most frequently in China.
For example, the online store Madonastils.com is already closed, while Martalinde.com continues to operate. It offers clothing, and all texts are written in good Latvian. CRPC representative Sanita Gertmane explained that with the current level of artificial intelligence development, creating websites in Latvian is not difficult, "however, AI often cannot maintain a good style."
"What do these Latvian names mean? It means pressure on the patriotism of the buyer. It is an attempt to influence consumer behavior, to create the impression that this is a local company and the purchase will likely be safe. For instance, last year there were similar sites like ModaJurmala, ModaRiga. They were marketing on social media, and many people actually made purchases," Gertmane said.
When making online purchases, it is important to first verify the seller's identity - the country of registration, address, and company registration number. For example, the website Martalinde.com does not have the name of the company, nor the registration address, nor the country.
"We only see the email info@martalinde.com. And this is the first sign that the site is suspicious," noted the CRPC representative.
Reviews from other buyers are also important. The store has a rating of 4.7 out of 5, but there are also negative reviews found in search engines: for example, that the product arrived, but "the coat does not meet expectations, the quality is very low." "It should be taken into account that communication either does not happen or is very slow, and the product may have to be sent back to China. And this means that the return costs will also have to be paid by the consumer themselves," the representative of the center added.
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