Small Businesses are Being Scammed in the Name of Customer Service; TikToker Explains How

Shoppers taking businesses for a ride

E-commerce platforms have been prioritizing consumers in the race to bag the biggest share of the digital retail landscape, but the customer may not be always right, as some are learning the hard way. Recently several cases have been reported where shoppers are successfully scamming small businesses by claiming that there's something wrong with the order. So how are these fraudulent shoppers scamming businesses online?

TikToker warns small businesses online

An Australian designer Kayla Thomas who is the founder of REAKT Apparel shared a clip in which she talks about a customer who placed an order consisting of several items of clothing. She then adds that this shopper claimed that one item was missing from the package when she received it.

"I'm thinking, 'How was that possible?' Like, did I make a mistake? I was second-guessing myself" Thomas tells her viewers. But she realized something was off when the buyer asked if she could provide a replacement for the missing product.

She later visited the Instagram profile where she saw that the shopper had posted a picture wearing the same black crop top that she claimed was missing from the package. The weird part was that she tagged Thomas in the post, but she didn't see it because her account is private, and they don't follow each other.

TikToker's follow-up video

In a second video posted by Kayla on TikTok, she talked about how she had tried to reach out to the shopper but did not receive any response from their side. 

"She did not care that she got called out for her behavior," she said. "Honestly, I'm still shocked, like she has no shame for what she's done. And she's most likely doing this to other businesses as well. So I guess always trust your gut instinct."

Viewers' reaction to the scam

People jumped to take Thomas's side and some even shared their own experiences in the comments section. "This happened to me a few times ... I now record every single package I send out, so that doesn't happen anymore," wrote one user.

Another user shared how her friend avoids such scams by taking pictures of every order as she packs them.

What can small business owners do to protect themselves?

As per the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners or ACFE, companies that have fewer than 100 employees are susceptible to losing at least $155,000 as a result of fraud each year. Here are certain things one can do to protect their businesses from all kinds of scams.

It's extremely important to separate your personal and business bank accounts. Once you have done that, it's important to safeguard all the details. 

In today's time, every business should invest in a firewall. Use, proper anti-virus and spyware detection software to reduce any kind of fraud. 

Recording everything that you send out can be extremely useful especially if the customers are trying to scam you.