Phishmael & FriendsFake online shops are designed to look exciting, so you buy before you think. In this episode, Sharkley opens one, and Gary nearly empties his piggy bank. Here are the clues the Reef spots.
Clue 1: the price is way too good. A hoverboard for 5 sand dollars, when the real thing costs hundreds, usually means the product doesn't exist.
Clue 2: a countdown and 'only 2 left'. Timers and low-stock warnings on fake shops are there to rush you. Often they reset and say the same thing every day.
Clue 3: strange ways to pay. A shop that only accepts gift cards or bank transfers is a big red flag, because the money is very hard to get back.
Clue 4: reviews that are too good, or too strange. Reviews on the shop's own page can be fake. Search for the shop's name plus the word 'reviews' on another website.
Clue 5: no refunds, no contact, no address. Real shops tell you how to return things and how to reach them.
The rule from the episode: too cheap to be real? Then it's not a deal! And for kids, the most important rule of all: always ask a grown-up before buying anything online.