Scam Photography Retail Websites

In the run up to Christmas, the Metropolitan Police removed 1,219 fake websites set up to scam unsuspecting consumers in the hunt for a bargain. Most of these were run from Eastern Europe or Asia by criminal gangs.

Photography is a frequent target for scammers. It is one of the world's most popular, and expensive, hobbies. Retailers do not have much latitude to cut prices, and unlike other consumer electronics, the prices of cameras and accessories have never really declined much. As such, when a new website pops up offering prices significantly cheaper than rivals, it is bound to attract attention. Unfortunately, a lot of these are scam websites, set up to take your cash quickly and then disappear forever. Enforcement against those behind the websites is weak - police forces in the usual countries are often ineffective and lack the capability to find and prosecute the individuals responsible. From the UK, while we remain very effective against criminals based here, the best we can generally do against foreign e-criminals is to shut their websites down. As such, the buyer must assume a significant responsibility for protecting themselves.

1. Always buy from a reputable seller. These will usually be linked to from popular photography websites, or recommended by other users. Advertisers in the back of popular photography magazines are also going to be a safe bet.
2. Be aware. If you know that the latest Nikon DXXX camera is retailing for £4000, but this new (untested) website is selling the same model for £2000, then it's likely to be fake or non-existent. No retailer could afford to sell a £4000 camera for £2000 and make a profit.
3. Pay attention to payment methods. Western Union is a definite no-no. Foreign scammers usually want credit cards, as opposed to debit cards which tend to be tied to a bank in one particular country. However, using a credit card will give you a degree of protection.
4. Have a look at the terms and conditions. Often, scam websites use standard templates to produce T & C pages, and they will often be nonsensical in the context of a photography website. Copy & paste a paragraph from the T&C's into Google and see how many other websites are using the same template - if they all look suspicious, then the chances are that your one is too.
5. Keep an eye out for poor spelling and bad grammar. Foreign criminals frequently do not have a satisfactory grasp of English. Reputable sellers generally take some degree of care with their website.
6. Check out if there are any contact details for the website. Personally, I don't deal with any camera retailer that doesn't have a contact phone number.

Even if you follow all of these tips, you may still end up being scammed - but following them will greatly minimise the risk. Recently, I was involved with investigating a fake retailer using the name of Rolandtrade (not the one that can currently be found on the internet). It was amazing how people from all over Europe had just handed over bank details or transferred cash with Western Union over to this scam website that was blatantly underselling camera equipment without a care in the world. Lots of people have now lost thousands of pounds between them.

The best advice I can give -

If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.