Just because you find what appears
to be a great deal on the Internet does not mean the website is legitimate.
Many fraudulent websites go out of their way to look real, even displaying fake
secure commerce information. Take for example http://www.ClickDVDStore.com, a
site which sells DVD's at low prices. We have received a scam report for this
site, claiming a customer purchased a DVD from the site only to receive a poor
copy of the actual DVD they wanted, not the actual product they wanted. When
the customer contacted the company, the site contacts claimed they had the
right to sell them a poor copy under the "Berne act" which deals with
international copyright, but that was blatantly false.
The site was actually referring to the Berne
Convention Implementation Act of 1988 (http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92appi.html), an
international agreement to protect people against fake copies of artistic work.
It does not allow people to sell bootleg copies.
Boycott Watch checked the Click DVD Store website and immediately found the
following problems, but there are probably more:
1) There is no
contact information for the company, nor is there any information about the
company whatsoever.
2) The store displays several images of websites
that certify the security of online retailers, but none of those images have
the required links to verify those services and certifications.
3) The
site does not have secure server capability, which is indicated by the URL
starting with HTTPS: and not HTTP. This means if you send your credit card
number to them, you are sending the number out in the open where everyone in
the world can see it.
Boycott Watch reminds people
to check the return policy of every business they buy from, be it online or a
store around the corner. For online stores, make sure there is contact
information, and a customer service phone number is strongly recommended. The
way we see it, any website which asks you for money but refuses to post an
address and phone number is a scam. Businesses which make it difficult for you
to contact them are going to be difficult to work with. Every secure sales
verification image on a website must link to a verification page on the claimed
secure network, and these too should be verified since those links can be faked
as well. Most importantly, never use your credit card on a website that you are
not 100% comfortable with. If you are not sure of or familiar with a website,
use a pre-paid disposable debit card or a service like PayPal, providing it is
a debit-only account. While you do have recourse with your credit card company,
the aggravation of having to deal with your bank account being cleared out on a
day you need to buy food, gas or pay your bills is something you surely want to
avoid.
If, therefore, you see any one of the above
problems on any website, run. The Click DVD Store website company has violated
the three cardinal rules everyone needs to follow before buying anything
online. This is not to say that websites which follow the rules are all safe,
but it is an important start. It's your money. |
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