Carousell, the leading multi-category classifieds marketplace in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, has published its Regional Scam Trends Report 2024. The report identifies the top fraud tactics targeting online shoppers and outlines steps users can take to avoid them. The report, produced by the Carousell Trust Working Group, ranks the most prevalent scams based on police and user reports.
The report highlights five major scams: counterfeit items, e-commerce scams, concert and event ticket fraud, fake buyer phishing, and fake Carousell support. Each scam is prevalent in different regions, with Malaysia facing fashion item scams, Hong Kong dealing with concert ticket fraud, Taiwan encountering “50% off” scams, the Philippines experiencing digicam scams, and Singapore confronting “Enabler” scams.
Carousell has implemented multi-layered safeguards to protect its community. In 2024, the platform blocked 1.28 million external links, 727,000 email addresses, and 20,000 QR codes to reduce phishing risks. Additionally, 23 million in-app safety alerts were issued, and 422,000 suspicious accounts were suspended.
Director of Trust and Customer Experience at Carousell, Gijs Verheijke, stated, “User education has always been a cornerstone of our trust strategy. By revealing scammers’ playbooks, we’re empowering sellers to spot phishing attempts and helping buyers question suspicious deals.”
Carousell advises users to keep conversations within the platform, pay through the platform for maximum protection, and safeguard personal information. To further educate users, Carousell will run a month-long campaign across its platform and social media channels.
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