More and more tempting offers are spreading online, and at first glance they can seem completely believable. A well-known brand’s “closing sale”, a free prize, an exceptional discount, or a campaign where you only need to pay a symbolic shipping fee. These are all familiar tactics used to get people to click somewhere and make a purchase.
However, what looks like an innocent purchase or participation in a giveaway can end in financial loss. For example, payments may be made with your card, money may be taken through recurring charges, or the data you entered may be used for future scams.
How does a fake store or scam campaign work?
A fake store can give the impression of being a fully functioning online shop. It may have product images, prices, a shopping cart, a payment page, and contact details. A scam campaign may imitate a giveaway, special offer, or gift campaign from a well-known company.
In recent years, for example, Facebook ads have spread in Estonia in which well-known people supposedly recommend an investment platform or an exceptional money-making opportunity. These often use a person’s photo, a media outlet’s logo, and a realistic-looking “news article” that gives the impression of a genuine interview or news story.
Gift card giveaways spread in the name of major retail chains have also been common, where the user is asked for bank card details in order to pay a small fee. Or “closing sales” from well-known sports and clothing brands, promising very large discounts and fast delivery.
More typical examples:
products from well-known brands are offered in a “closing sale” at 70–90% off;
a free phone, household appliance, or gift card is promised;
to participate, you only need to pay a small shipping fee;
the campaign uses the photo or name of a well-known person;
the website asks for card details, but there is little information about the company;
the ad leads to a page that imitates a real online store or news portal.
With scam pages, it is also worth paying attention to small details. For example, the website address may end with .shop or .store instead of the company’s official domain.
Why do scams work?
Scam ads on social media often seem more convincing than ordinary phishing emails because algorithms show them to people based on their interests and previous behaviour.
If a person has recently searched for sports goods, travel, or investment topics, an “exceptional offer” in that exact area may appear to them. This creates the feeling that the ad is personally relevant and trustworthy.
Trust is also built through fake comments. A scam page may have dozens of praising comments such as “I ordered and the goods arrived!” or “I received my gift!”. These are usually posted by fake accounts created to leave the impression of a trustworthy offer.
Using the names and photos of well-known people also works very well, because people react to a familiar face faster than they can check whether the ad or news story is real.
To avoid fraud, it is worth staying alert yourself, but technical protection solutions are also becoming increasingly important, helping to block dangerous websites before a user has time to enter their data or make a payment.
How does Elisa Netivalvur help?
Elisa Netivalvur protects against dangerous websites, malware, and phishing links. If a link in a campaign leads to a known malicious or suspicious web address, Netivalvur blocks it before the user has time to enter their data.
Technically, this means that Netivalvur checks in real time where a clicked link is directing the user and compares it against a database of known dangerous domains and web addresses. If the address is identified as a phishing page or malware site, the connection is interrupted before the scam page can even open.
This kind of protection is especially useful in the case of widely spread scams whose web addresses are already known to security services. Although completely new scam pages may initially still be unknown to security systems, threat lists are constantly updated, and most scam pages that begin spreading widely quickly end up on the radar of protection systems.
How to recognize a suspicious offer?
Before making a purchase or participating in a campaign, it is worth pausing for a moment and reviewing the offer. You should be cautious if:
the product discount is significantly larger than elsewhere;
the campaign pressures you to buy immediately and gives the impression that the offer will disappear within minutes;
the photo or name of a well-known person is used;
the website lacks clear contact details and terms;
the company’s background remains unclear.
Always check the website address and google the company name together with the word “fraud” or “scam”. Find out whether the same campaign is also posted on the brand’s official website or social media channel, and whether the company exists in the Business Register.
If you have already entered your card details or made a payment, contact your bank immediately.
The easiest way, however, is to avoid fraud before it even reaches the point of payment or data entry.
Check before you pay
A real online store or official campaign will not disappear if you take a couple of minutes to verify it. If an offer demands a quick decision, promises an unrealistically large reward, or offers something very valuable in exchange for a small payment, there is reason to be cautious.
Netivalvur helps block dangerous websites and suspicious links, but the most effective protection comes when technology and attentive behaviour work together.
Remember: if a product from a well-known brand suddenly costs several times less than elsewhere, or the ad demands immediate action, pause for a moment to verify the offer.
If you want to protect yourself and your loved ones from scams like these, you can do so with Elisa Netivalvur.