Fake Website Posses as Buyer’s Platform and Phished their Information

With the advent of online scamming and a technological advance, more and more scammers are finding their ways through and phishing user’s information by creating verified buying platforms.

Online scams have originated for a long time when scammers made websites with credible sources and information to confuse buyers. This is how the scam was made. By creating an authentic website, these scammers took the personal details of the buyers through the payment information. Little did the consumers knew that their credit card details were being shared in a racket.

With this, a new site has come into the spotlight and that site goes by the name of managestore.host. Similar to the online phishing scams, this website has created the same buyer platform as Flipkart and is scamming people into buying cheap mobile phones which are half the actual price. When you open this URL, you will be directed to a page that mimics the original Flipkart store.

The scary thing is, most of us don’t pay attention to the URL when we are shopping online. Only when you are operating the purchase from a credible site, you need to pay close attention to the browser’s URL or the source of the browser before you put any other information. This is a very important step and should never be overlooked. Coming back, the managestore.host is putting people’s information at risk when they are scamming them by using a popular site like Flipkart.

This is how the work goes.

1. You open this URL which has been sent to you. Once you open this URL, you are directed to a page that displays the front page of the shopping apparel site, Flipkart. You are convinced that you are being directed to the Flipkart site and from where you can shop.
2. From here, you are bought to the attention of various mobile phones which are extremely cheaper than what you usually find. These prices are lower than the original MRP. For example, you can get a ton of options from cellphones like REDMI, or Oppo which will only cost you around 2599 or less.
3. As the Flipkart site goes, this site will ask you to put your details such as name, house number, address, mobile information, etc. while you are placing the order.
4. Once done, you will be directed to the payment page where you have to pay for the item. Now a disclaimer: ‘the pay page looks slightly different to what you can find on Flipkart’. It will show that COD (Cash on Delivery) is not available because of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a classic movie that the scammers have made since a lot of businesses cannot afford Cash on delivery for products due to the lockdown implementations.
5. When you put your credit card details or you’re UPI, net banking information, it takes your information and stores into their database. Once the cash has been deposited to their site, they will ensure that the order has been placed and you will get it in the stipulated period.

As we all know, customers who have already placed their orders through the managestore.host have said that it wasn’t delivered to them. With the greed of getting ultra-cheap phones, people are opening this website and placing their orders one after the other while their credit card, UPI, and net banking information are being transferred.

How the site does commits this crime and has the police been informed?

Yes, the police have been informed about this issue. The site commences their crime by sending their website URL through the help of AD or promos when you open the internet. Or also with the help of email marketing when you are opening your account and finding a mail that has been sent to you.

The police have been informed about the issue but they are unable to lodge any case on their site since the price which the customers have to pay is negligible. Even though this website is scamming people through cheaper prices, the operation which is going on is happening on a large base. Once a particular amount is crossed, the police can take stern action against them.

How to stay alert?

Well, we all know that the recent pandemic has moved us to the comfort of our home. And that online shopping is now a credible thing to do while we are at home. With a lot of online scams on the rise, it is a hard choice to put your details on the internet. This is why you need to be alert and have a proper understanding of how online scam and phishing technique works before you place an order. Make sure that you get a clear glance through the URL of the site and then do the needful. Using applications of the original online site is a suited choice.