{"id":53406,"date":"2022-06-07T06:02:20","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T04:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T19:46:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T17:46:46","slug":"e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/","title":{"rendered":"e-Commerce: look before you click"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>While online retailers are quick to point out the convenience of this kind of shopping, statistics recently released by the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) show that online purchasing is not without its pitfalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Monday 1 March last year to Monday 30 May this year, CGSO has received 2 600 complaints related to online transactions. Of these complaints, 1 745 were related to \u201cnot on time or reasonable\u201d, 187 to \u201cnot as per order or requirements\u201d and 116 to \u201cnot provided in time\u201d. Forty-three complainants claimed they had been overcharged, 40 said the product or service received was \u201cnot as per the advert\u201d and 31 said the goods were \u201cnot of expected quality\u201d. Under the category \u201cfraud\u201d, 27 complaints were lodged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ouma Ramaru, Media Liaison, Training and Outreach Manager for CGSO, says the Covid-19 pandemic forced businesses to move to trading online and consumers to also transact online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnline platforms became more popular and a preferred way during hard lockdown. Businesses had to have a strategy that would help them to sustain and continue to make profit, but we must admit that no one was ready or prepared for Covid-19.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ramaru says, as a result, the demand was high but supply was not sufficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBusinesses were advertising their goods and services more and they could not supply as promised,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From Sunday 1 March 2020 to Sunday 28 February 2021, CGSO received a total of 14 438 cases in that period and 2 321 (16%) related to non delivery, late delivery, poor product quality, misleading advertisement, cancellations, no refunds, bait marketing and unfair terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past year to date, CGSO has published alerts against five online stores \u2013 Mr Shopper, Anna Eleven, Wiegenkind Boutique, Online AT Liepies and Sassy Heels \u2013 which advertise and accept consumers money but then allegedly fail to deliver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen being contacted, they make endless promises which turn out not to be honoured,\u201d says Ramaru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a business accepts consumers\u2019 money and does not provide or deliver, it is a violation of Section 19 of the Consumer Protection Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is always advisable to attempt to obtain redress. As a consumer, those are your rights. Complaints are inevitable but reputable suppliers will always respond to and provide redress to their customers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unrealistic low deals advertised online are the biggest red flag, he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStick to reputable retailers and be wary of unrealistically low deals. Consumers are further advised to do their homework before parting with their hard earned monies by checking with online communities before purchasing anything from any online sites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claremont police recently shared that, compared to last year\u2019s figures, the station had experienced a 29% increase in reported fraud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A media statement released by the Claremont police and the local Community Policing Forum (CPF) earlier this month stated that an analysis of fraud cases opened at the station found that 40% were online purchasing and 40% were online banking or calls from imposters claiming to be bank representatives (\u201cSharp increase in online fraud\u201d, <span>People\u2019s Post<\/span>, 31 May).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claremont police and CPF provides this advice on how residents can protect themselves from online fraud:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Properly verify that the company you are dealing with online does exist. Check email addresses, call the head office, verbally confirm banking details before making payment, seek references and legitimate reviews.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not ever provide personal information, bank account information, or online banking login details to anyone. Your bank will not request this from you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you notice fraudulent or suspicious activity on your bank account, go into a branch to query it. Do not try and resolve it online.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not transact with your bank using automated messaging systems or by clicking on links in emails. Be wary of false urgency. Scammers sometimes pressurise the potential victim, convincing you to act immediately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you lack confidence or experience with online transacting, seek assistance from a trusted friend or family member.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not ever assume the website or bank representative you are dealing with is legitimate. Be absolutely 100% sure before you proceed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While online retailers are quick to point out the convenience of this kind of shopping, statistics recently released by the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) show that online purchasing is not without its pitfalls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":53408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"ed4d3c1b-693b-4bc8-9fb1-91c9b6ebd519","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Nettalie Viljoen @nettalieviljoen","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-53406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>e-Commerce: look before you click | People&#039;s Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"e-Commerce: look before you click\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While online retailers are quick to point out the convenience of this kind of shopping, statistics recently released by the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) show that online purchasing is not without its pitfalls.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"People&#039;s Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeoplesPostNewsPaper\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-07T04:02:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-19T17:46:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nettalie Viljoen @nettalieviljoen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thepeoplespost\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@thepeoplespost\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"People&#039;s Post\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"People's Post\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a55ab3f8723ad7eb7c816b50d6f060e0\"},\"headline\":\"e-Commerce: look before you click\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-07T04:02:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-19T17:46:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":655,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2022\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/\",\"name\":\"e-Commerce: look before you click | People&#039;s Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-07T04:02:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-19T17:46:46+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":576,\"caption\":\"Photo for illustration. (Image: Getty)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"e-Commerce: look before you click\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/\",\"name\":\"People's Post\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Peoples Post\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/peoples-post-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/peoples-post-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Peoples Post\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PeoplesPostNewsPaper\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/thepeoplespost\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/peoplespostnewspaper\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@peoplespostnewsCPT\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a55ab3f8723ad7eb7c816b50d6f060e0\",\"name\":\"People's Post\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ea284cb64e6d80623a001a22682bdd8e89e02e917c1f92b662fe747122e799b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ea284cb64e6d80623a001a22682bdd8e89e02e917c1f92b662fe747122e799b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ea284cb64e6d80623a001a22682bdd8e89e02e917c1f92b662fe747122e799b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"People's Post\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/peoplespost\\\/author\\\/peoplespost\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"e-Commerce: look before you click | People&#039;s Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"e-Commerce: look before you click","og_description":"While online retailers are quick to point out the convenience of this kind of shopping, statistics recently released by the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) show that online purchasing is not without its pitfalls.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/","og_site_name":"People&#039;s Post","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeoplesPostNewsPaper","article_published_time":"2022-06-07T04:02:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-19T17:46:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nettalie Viljoen @nettalieviljoen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@thepeoplespost","twitter_site":"@thepeoplespost","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"People's Post","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/"},"author":{"name":"People's Post","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#\/schema\/person\/a55ab3f8723ad7eb7c816b50d6f060e0"},"headline":"e-Commerce: look before you click","datePublished":"2022-06-07T04:02:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-19T17:46:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/"},"wordCount":655,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2022","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/","name":"e-Commerce: look before you click | People&#039;s Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg","datePublished":"2022-06-07T04:02:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-19T17:46:46+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg","width":1024,"height":576,"caption":"Photo for illustration. (Image: Getty)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/e-commerce-look-before-you-click-20220607\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"e-Commerce: look before you click"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/","name":"People's Post","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#organization","name":"Peoples Post","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/peoples-post-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/peoples-post-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Peoples Post"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PeoplesPostNewsPaper","https:\/\/x.com\/thepeoplespost","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/peoplespostnewspaper\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@peoplespostnewsCPT"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/#\/schema\/person\/a55ab3f8723ad7eb7c816b50d6f060e0","name":"People's Post","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ea284cb64e6d80623a001a22682bdd8e89e02e917c1f92b662fe747122e799b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ea284cb64e6d80623a001a22682bdd8e89e02e917c1f92b662fe747122e799b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ea284cb64e6d80623a001a22682bdd8e89e02e917c1f92b662fe747122e799b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"People's Post"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/author\/peoplespost\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/259531b4dc314eccade6e851fba6f25f.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53463,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/sharp-increase-in-online-fraud-20220530\/","url_meta":{"origin":53406,"position":0},"title":"Sharp increase in online fraud","author":"People's Post","date":"31 May 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Industry regulating bodies and the police are cautioning the public to be on the alert following a sharp increase in fraud cases.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/cf3663d76ca84a71bedcdd1dcfb41fb5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":301063,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/city-ramps-up-winter-flood-mitigation-amid-widespread-rainfall\/","url_meta":{"origin":53406,"position":1},"title":"City ramps up winter flood mitigation amid widespread rainfall","author":"TygerBurger","date":"21 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cape Town emergency teams work round the clock as heavy rains trigger 480 flooding complaints across multiple suburbs over weekend","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dunoon clean up after heavy rains.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Monday20April-Dunoon_43138.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Monday20April-Dunoon_43138.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Monday20April-Dunoon_43138.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Monday20April-Dunoon_43138.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Monday20April-Dunoon_43138.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53774,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/worship-exempt-from-noise-rules-20220502\/","url_meta":{"origin":53406,"position":2},"title":"Worship exempt from noise rules","author":"People's Post","date":"3 May 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Interfaith groups have welcomed the City of Cape Town\u2019s revised standard operating procedure (SOP) which eliminates places of worship with appropriate zoning from the noise bylaw.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/b77d7f5493b545f68a0fdf8b2a941c55.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/b77d7f5493b545f68a0fdf8b2a941c55.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/b77d7f5493b545f68a0fdf8b2a941c55.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/b77d7f5493b545f68a0fdf8b2a941c55.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46374,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/around-40-containers-removed-20240422\/","url_meta":{"origin":53406,"position":3},"title":"Negotiations continue to remove containers from Riverview Church Of Christ in Lakeside","author":"People's Post","date":"26 April 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Metric Storage and the City of Cape Town are continuing with negotiations to remove the remaining shipping containers that arrived at the Riverview Church of Christ in Lakeside five months ago.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fdb46e53a6f742d89ef4900848729642.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fdb46e53a6f742d89ef4900848729642.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fdb46e53a6f742d89ef4900848729642.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fdb46e53a6f742d89ef4900848729642.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fdb46e53a6f742d89ef4900848729642.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fdb46e53a6f742d89ef4900848729642.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52799,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/taxis-impounded-drivers-fined-20220808\/","url_meta":{"origin":53406,"position":4},"title":"Taxis impounded, drivers fined","author":"People's Post","date":"9 August 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"More than R300 000 in fines were issued while four taxis were impounded during a joint police operation in Kommetjie Road on Thursday 21 July.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ea112c079b8443a7a248e370f3392f5f.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ea112c079b8443a7a248e370f3392f5f.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ea112c079b8443a7a248e370f3392f5f.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ea112c079b8443a7a248e370f3392f5f.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48940,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/no-horsing-around-bylaw-enforcement-sees-10-equines-impounded-147-complaints-20230822\/","url_meta":{"origin":53406,"position":5},"title":"No horsing around: bylaw enforcement sees 10 equines impounded, 147 complaints","author":"People's Post","date":"22 August 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"More than 140 equine-related complaints have been responded to by the Cape of Good Hope SPCA since January, resulting in 10 confiscations across the city.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e354993c7c3b478195eedb4bc9a24716.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e354993c7c3b478195eedb4bc9a24716.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e354993c7c3b478195eedb4bc9a24716.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e354993c7c3b478195eedb4bc9a24716.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"People&#039;s Post","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53406"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=53406"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=53406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}