BOGOR - The modus operandi of online shopping fraud through Instagram is again rampant ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The perpetrators are suspected of using the technique of cloning social media accounts or profile cloning to deceive prospective buyers by offering clothing products from well-known brands.
One of the accounts reported by a number of consumers is Bellvania.idn. The account is suspected of being a clone that is used to run a fraudulent scheme by offering various Lebaran clothing products through links to websites shared on social media.
On the site, the products offered have a price range ranging from IDR 225,000 to IDR 935,000. This offer makes a number of users tempted to make purchases online.
One of the victims from Bogor, Pita, admitted that he initially did not suspect the account because it looked convincing. He said that the ads that appeared on Instagram's reels feature showed a fairly large number of comments, likes, and shares.
"At first I believed it because the Instagram reels ad that passed by had a lot of comments, likes and shares," Pita told reporters, Friday, March 13.
According to him, the account also has a number of followers of more than 53 thousand accounts so that it looks like a trusted online store.
After being interested, he then made a reservation through the provided site link and was asked to complete the payment online.
"After checkout I received an invoice via email, so it really looks like an official account," he said.
However, after the payment was made, the ordered goods were never delivered. When he asked for the delivery receipt number, the account did not give a clear answer.
"Every time I ask the police, they always avoid it. In the end, I was even blocked," said Pita.
A similar experience was also experienced by Saras, a consumer from Surabaya. He said he had asked for a refund after realizing there was a mistake in the transaction process.
According to Saras, the account manager said that the process of returning the funds would take up to 14 days. However, after that he was asked to send a screenshot of the account balance.
"I was asked to send a screenshot of the account balance. I just sent an empty account, but after that my WhatsApp was blocked," he said.
The victims also said that the account limited the comment feature on Instagram posts. This made other users unable to write experiences or provide warnings regarding the alleged fraud.
This case is a reminder for the public to be more careful when shopping through social media, especially ahead of the Idulfitri moment which is often used by online fraud perpetrators.
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