MOST Malaysians today buy products online, and in giving better services to companies, many delivery companies offer different modes of delivery, such as Cash-on-Delivery (COD) service.
As the service became popular among shoppers, scammers are starting to take advantage of it, and seasoned delivery man at Ninja Van Malaysia, Abdul Wahab Zolkafli, realised this trend.
In his effort to help shoppers from becoming victims of COD scam, the 30 year-old father of three shares some advice.
#1: Keep track of your purchase
According to Abdul Wahab, he first realised he could be delivering scam COD items when his delivery included a bulk of COD packages, hundreds of them. His suspicion rose as he checked the sender's details, which all came from all from the same sender. The next red flag was that the items were marked as "high-value", but when he checked many of the recipients claimed that they've never made the purchase.
In this case, Abdul Wahab advises shoppers to be aware if they are expecting a parcel because there are cases where the COD was paid because the recipient was not at home and a family member completed the transaction, and for a case like this, it will be very difficult to dispute.
#2: Never accept unknown packages
Freight forwarders are the middlemen connecting foreign sellers to delivery providers. They hire delivery providers like Ninja Van Malaysia to deliver the parcels to customers.
When Ninja Van Malaysia delivers the parcels, in this case a COD delivery, the delivery man, just like Abdul Wahab, will collect cash on behalf of the freight forwarders. The collected cash will then be remitted to the freight forwarders, who will then remit the cash to their shippers.
Shoppers should never accept or complete a COD of dubious parcels.
If you do come across suspicious parcels or payment requests, make sure to reject the delivery and report the scam to Ninja Van Malaysia by either calling +6011-17000400 (Operating hours: 10am - 8pm, Mon-Sat) or send email to [email protected]).
#3: If you're not sure, make sure
Recollecting his experience, Abdul Wahab also shares how his suspicion was confirmed. While making deliveries around the Mutiara Rini area in Johor Baru, Abdul Wahab remembered how during one of his deliveries, he encouraged the recipient to open the COD parcel as she said she did not order it.
Despite the item being marked as premium and the COD price was high, he was ready to take responsibility for it.
Thanks to his upright value, Abdul Wahab did not not only save one person from being a victim of COD scam, but many others too.
What did they find after opening the parcel? A trinket jewellery piece priced that costs hundreds of ringgit.
Following the discovery, Abdul Wahab reported the seller to management and action was taken to flag the seller as a potential scam and in confirmed cases, the seller was blacklisted by Ninja Van Malaysia.
#4: Don't be afraid to exercise your right
If there is one thing we could learn from Abdul Wahab's experience of more than a decade as a delivery man, it is not to be afraid to uphold what you believe in.
Protected by Ninja Van secured delivery system where all deliveries are recorded, recipients should not worry about requesting for a check-up on items delivered to you or to reject a certain parcel.
Abdul Wahab believes that fighting scams is collective work.
"I don't want to see anyone fall victim. Remember that anyone and everyone is a potential victim. No one is exempted.
"Exercise caution when you shop online. Always buy from trusted sellers. Spend a little more time to read customer reviews and if possible do chat with the seller.
"Also, remember that sometimes, if it is too good to be true, often it is not," said Abdul Wahab.