Ordering cosmetics worth more than 1.2 million VND through the TikTok platform, Ms. Ha Lan (character name changed, in Cau Giay, Hanoi) received the product but the quality was poor.
Clicks lead to million-dollar orders
Reflecting to Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Ha Lan said that she accidentally surfed a video using advertising images of a famous KOL/KOC with 2 million followers, Ms. Ha Lan clicked on the link attached below detailed information.
Immediately after accessing the link, she was transferred to a website designed professionally, displaying many products of high-end brands such as Dior, YSL, Chanel...
At that time, each cushion box was offered for sale at a price of 599,000 VND, much lower than the market price. Plus shipping costs, the total value of the order reached 1.23 million VND.
The TikTok page posted a video using the personal image of a reputable KOL/KOC - who regularly has mega livestream sessions at "cheap" prices - along with the psychology of hunting for cheap prices on June 6, made Ms. Lan click on the link. However, opening up is not a order placed directly on TikTok Shop but a "foreign" link.
At 10:27 am on June 9, the delivery staff called to notify the product. Because the delivery person was a regular delivery person in the area, Ms. Ha Lan did not suspect anything and transferred the entire amount of money to pay for the goods.
Unusual signs
After receiving the goods, a series of unusual signs gradually became apparent. The sales website could no longer be accessed, and contact phone numbers did not exist.
I felt like I was caught up in the advertisement. Not only ordering once, I also accidentally ordered a second time because I did not see a confirmation notice for the order. "At the end of the day, when opening two identical packages, I realized I had ordered twice," Ms. Lan recounted.
After knowing she had been scammed, Ms. Ha Lan proactively contacted the KOL/KOC account HannahOlala with a green tick to verify. HannahOlala informed: "The YSL 59.9 million VND program is fake, we do not implement this program".
I don't know who to call. The seller disappeared, the phone number could not be contacted, and the order has been confirmed completed," Ms. Lan said.
Because she could not revisit the website, she had no way to track bills of lading, contact sellers or carry out refund procedures.
Not only Ms. Ha Lan, Ms. Pham Lan Khanh (Ho Chi Minh City) is also a victim of a similar form of fraud.
As a customer who has bought products introduced by KOL/KOC HannahOlala many times, Ms. Khanh has a high level of trust in related advertisements. Despite choosing to pay when receiving goods (COD) to increase safety, she was still lured into a fake website.
According to Ms. Khanh, this website uses a domain name, image and presentation similar to the official sales channel, even business information is named similarly to create a sense of trust.
When receiving the goods, she had a preliminary check before paying. However, after opening the product and trying it, she discovered that this was a "3 no" product: no protective stamp, no sub- stamp and no signs of guarantee of origin and quality.
Contacting the delivery unit again, she received the answer that the money had been transferred to the company, so it could not be returned immediately.
I had to spend 13 consecutive days working with the shipping unit because of mechanical feedback from the customer care department," Ms. Khanh said.
After a long complaint process, a person claiming to be a store representative suddenly contacted, citing the reason that the information was leaked leading to the delivery of fake goods, and at the same time agreed to refund customers through the shipping unit.
Following the address, discovering a "ghost" store
To verify information, reporters directly went to the address written on the product packaging on Ngo Dinh Man street, La Khe ward (now Ha Dong ward), Hanoi. However, instead of a cosmetics business establishment, this address is just a house for people to rent and repair electric vehicles.
The homeowner was surprised to learn that his address was used for business purposes of unknown origin.
My family only rents rooms and repairs electric vehicles. No one in this area trades in cosmetics in such a way. Even the address written on the packaging is the old administrative address," this person said.
The "algorithm" vortex proposed from platforms
From two cases with similar signs, victims continued to encounter a series of fanpages and websites advertising similar content proposed by social media platforms.
Ms. Pham Lan Khanh (Ho Chi Minh City) said: "After falling into the fraud trap, similar fake pages appear everywhere on platforms, not just TikTok. Every time I see them, I press the report button to report the account so that the platform recognizes these are fake pages, but somewhere there are still many".
What makes users concerned and upset is not only the fact that they themselves become victims of a fake website, but after interacting with advertising content showing signs of fraud, the platform continues to propose a series of videos, fanpages and links with similar operating methods. This raises concerns about the risk that more and more users will continue to "fall into the trap" of similar scams.
The incident shows that scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated when taking advantage of images of famous KOL/KOCs, professional website designs, using fake address information and legal delivery procedures to exploit consumer confidence.
Lao Dong Newspaper has contacted TikTok to clarify the content censorship mechanism, handle fake accounts and the platform's responsibility in cases where users are lured to fraudulent websites. Upon receiving feedback, Lao Dong Newspaper will continue to provide information to readers.
