Online seller loses thousands to customers with fake screenshots of payment

An online seller said she lost thousands of pesos worth of cash and food products to customers who scammed her with fake proofs of payment.

According to JP Soriano's report on "24 Oras", Jessa Macaraig shipped thousands worth of food products to two different people last week.

“Kunwari po P10,000 tapos sabi niya, 'Ah, pa-cancel na lang ng parang worth P2,000," Macraig said.

"So ibabalik ko yung P2,000. Tapos yung worth ng products na ibibigay ko sa kanya is P8,000 so kumita pa siya sa akin,” she added.

(For instance, the customer will buy P10,000 worth of products and then the he would cancel buying P2,000 worth.  I'd return the P2,000. Then, he'd still have P8,000 worth of products that I gave him. He even got cash from me.)

Macaraig said the only proofs of payment she got were screenshots that the buyers already transferred money to her account.

She, however, did not immediately check her bank account since she was not familiar with online banking.

Since the buyers booked the delivery rider, Macaraig did not know their address and was already blocked in her contact number.

Meanwhile, Department of Trade (DTI) Undersecretary Ruth Castelo reminded the online sellers and buyers to check online payments amid the advancement of modern technology.

“We encourage also online banking kasi real time for the online sellers machecheck na agad nila kung may nadeposit talaga sa kanila or natransfer sa kanila yung bayad ng buyer,” Castelo added.

[We also encourage online banking because the online sellers can immediately check if someone has actually deposited with them or transferred the payment.]

The trade department also expressed its support to assist Macaraig. -Richa Noriega/NB, GMA News