Chase! Darkness of online shopping July 14 19:06

Online shopping is becoming more and more indispensable to our daily lives, as new lifestyles are required due to the new coronavirus. However, the current situation is that there is no end to sales of inferior products that are likely to break or have a fire risk, and counterfeit brand products. Why does the sale of such products continue? Are online mail order companies taking sufficient measures? How should we consumers be careful? Tracked (Naotoya Saito, Network News Department / Ryohei Kadota PD, 2nd Production Unit)

Increased troubles with online shopping

The use of online shopping is rapidly increasing, as our new consumer behavior changes drastically.

In addition to hygiene products such as masks, there are also movements to purchase groceries and daily necessities that were previously bought at stores in the self-restrained life online.

Under such circumstances, the voice of being in trouble with online shopping has become more prominent. There are many messages on the net, such as "The mask string comes loose" and "The same temperature is always displayed on the non-contact thermometer".

According to the National Center for Living, over 58,000 consultations were received regarding online shopping from April to June this year. It has increased by more than 70% since the same period last year.

Ms. Makiko Morisawa, Consultation Section 2, National Life Center
"There are also malicious companies who take advantage of the anxiety that they may get the new coronavirus. For those companies, gather detailed information and be careful. I'd like to make a call.''

There is a risk of fire if the product bought by mail order

It turns out that some of them are serious cases that could be fatal due to the products bought online.

At the home of a couple living in Gunma prefecture, there was a fire last October when a fire broke out from the shed room on the second floor, which burned the entire wall and furniture.

Although the couple was not injured, the damage caused by the fire amounted to 8 million yen.

It was the battery for the vacuum cleaner that was found to be the cause of the fire by inspection by the fire department.

The battery was a battery used in a handy type vacuum cleaner of the major manufacturer Dyson, but it is not compatible with the compatibility, it is not a genuine product manufactured and sold by the manufacturer of the vacuum cleaner. It turned out to be a manufactured one.

Masahito Matsui, Fire Department, Maebashi City
"For lithium-ion batteries, there is no safety device to prevent overcharging among compatible products that are not genuine products of the manufacturer, or if the battery structure is improper There is a risk that it will catch fire.''

The couple bought it at a major online mail order Amazon, which was priced at about 3,000 yen, which is about half the price of genuine products, and they said they chose it because the price was cheap.

Damaged couple
"I feel that I can't help but think that I can't help but I still feel regretful."

In fact, the number of fire accidents caused by compatible vacuum cleaner batteries has increased dramatically in recent years.

According to the summary of Product Evaluation Technology Infrastructure = NITE, the number of accidents, which was one in the previous year, has rapidly increased to more than 30 in the last year.

Vacuum cleaner manufacturers and NITE have warned consumers about using compatible batteries.

Finding fake branded products But sellers can't trace...

The sale of counterfeit branded goods is also a problem.

In April, the Consumer Affairs Agency issued an administrative punishment for 13 exhibitors who were selling fake brand products such as wallets and bags on Amazon.

However, a person in charge of the Consumer Affairs Agency revealed during the press conference that he could not confirm the identity of the responsible person, although he investigated the exhibitor.

During the survey, the Consumer Affairs Agency investigated the information such as addresses and telephone numbers that were specified by law to appear on the product page, but there was no actual seller.

In addition, although I checked the identification documents such as the driver's license and the status of residence card that I had submitted to the operator of the mail order site when I exhibited, I used the name of a real Japanese person without permission, It means that they were all forged documents, such as their names being written.

Consumer Affairs Agency person in charge
"It took me no time to find fake branded goods on the Internet, but the seller hides his identity with a very elaborate method and pursues its whereabouts. It has taken a considerable amount of time.''

The Consumer Affairs Agency is considering revising the law so that operators of mail-order sites will be more rigorous in verifying the identity of sellers, as a countermeasure against such malicious sellers.

Ken Sasaji, Manager, Transaction Countermeasures Division, Consumer Affairs Agency
"To ensure that Japanese consumers are not sacrificed by people who engage in illegal acts that misuse mail-ordering sites, think properly together with platform operators and the government. More and more things will be needed in the future.''

Measures against Amazon...

Sale of defective products and counterfeit products through online shopping where problems occur one after another. Impersonation of registration information by a malicious seller.

How is Amazon, a major mail order site, taking measures?

We conducted a web interview with Dermesh Mehta Vice President, who oversees customer protection and fraud prevention measures at Amazon headquarters.

Amazon Dermesh Mehta
“Amazon has already taken measures against the situation of counterfeit brand products announced by the Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency, and we are making sure that the same tricks can not be used for similar fraud. In 2019, we found 2.5 million suspicious sellers and stopped more than 6 billion suspicious items before selling.''

When asked about the countermeasures, he did not reveal the detailed method, but replied, "It is supported by an original high-performance system."

In addition, regarding counterfeit products, in addition to strengthening the examination of distributors, we will take legal measures in the future.

Dermesh Mehta
"We also recognize that Amazon is not yet perfect. We will continue to invest and make it a trusted site. The counterfeit brand crime countermeasure team was launched as part of that. Japan is one of the most important markets for Amazon and we will continue to earn the trust of our Japanese customers.”

Entered online shopping one after another with Corona

The number of companies that are trying to enter the online mail order business with Corona is rapidly increasing.

According to Masashi Hira of Aguzarfa Co., Ltd., which is consulting the exhibitor, the number of inquiries has now more than quadrupled compared to January.

Agusarufa Masuaki Hira
“The number of individuals entering the mail-order business at home or as a side business is increasing to make their future uncertain or to compensate for the reduced income. There are also many consultations about selling masks and disinfectants. I feel that the competition is intensifying, and more and more companies are trying to increase sales even if they commit fraud.''

According to another seller, there are cases where sellers who started new mail order can stop luggage at Japanese customs when trying to import and sell masks that have not been certified. is.

In the future called after-corona, mail-order sites are becoming an essential service for our lives.

It is necessary for the country, the operators called platformers, and we consumers to think together about how to use services with peace of mind.

For more information on the actual conditions of online shopping, please see “Close-up Hyundai on July 14th, “Tracking the spread of damage with the new Corona! Darkness of online shopping” (10 pm).