Get seller's Facebook information, create identical Zalo account to scam

I ordered a bag from a friend on his personal Facebook. The very next day, I received a message from a Zalo account with the same information and profile picture as my friend's personal Facebook saying that the item was available and would be shipped in the afternoon, along with a picture of the bag I ordered.

When I received the message, I quickly read it and thought that you probably just added this Zalo account for convenience in trading. But after reading the content carefully, I was worried because the way you and I addressed each other was not like that. I immediately called my friend to verify and found out that it was a fake Zalo.

Using this method, the scammer has appropriated the assets of dozens of customers who ordered my friend's products online. They text, the customers text back, they will ask for a transfer of money in advance to deliver the goods. Because they are familiar with each other and have bought many times, many people trust them and transfer money immediately. After receiving the money, the scammer immediately locks the Zalo account.

This is a rather sophisticated method of online fraud, targeting the Facebook of traders and defrauding their customers. It is worth mentioning that they have found people ordering on Facebook very easily, even in cases where information is not public like mine. It is possible that frequent online ordering is also a loophole for scammers to get information.

Everyone needs to be careful when ordering online. If you are not sure, absolutely do not transfer money before receiving the goods to avoid being scammed.