Purpose of this site - Trusted online merchants.com(TROMS) developed
this site to assist and enlighten consumers shopping on the internet so
as not to become one of the victims of fraud or identity theft, by
shopping at the most trusted online stores.
Our primary goal is to ensure that every consumer shopping online
either for products or services is armed with adequate information to
guide them through so that their shopping can be safe and
secured.However,if an online shopper believes that he or she has become
a victim of fraud or identity theft,avenues are available for filing
complaints.You can find these under our Resources Section.These
information is provided to online shoppers for free and we do not sell
any product or service whatsoever.
ONLINE SHOPPING -
The internet has revolutionized the way people shop all over the world
today.Now you can buy just about any product or service on the internet
or pay your bills without leaving the comfort of your home.In
fact,today more than 20 million consumers regularly shop online mostly
from home and collectively spending over $30 billion dollars annually.The internet is full of millions of stores selling various products and services to consumers.While some operate like shopping
malls carrying other stores inventory,others are stand alone individual stores.
Find out more by clicking on any interested link.
Most of these stores are credible
with reputation,good intents and are household names,others have no
credibility,no reputation,and are set up with the intention of
defrauding innocent shoppers.They are usually fly by night type of
stores.Initially, because of the ease of setting up an online store,it
was so easy for these crooks to prey on shoppers online.However,with
the increase in consumers education and awareness,as well as stiffer
penalties for those committing internet fraud and stealing
identity,consumers are now better prepared to handle this while
shopping safely on the internet with confidence and peace of mind.Shoppers can buy just about any product ranging from apparel,automobiles,books,collectibles,computers,electronics,
furniture,grocery,office products,equipments of all sorts with the replacement parts,etc.
Similarly,theycan buy or subscribe
to services such as online
dating,downloading music,movies,or games.They can also buy all kinds
of insurance, make hotel,travel and car reservations,apply for personal loans,employments,etc.,as well.
FRAUD -
As much as the convenience that online shopping brings to consumers,
unfortunately,there are many cases of fraud and identity theft that
have been reported as a result of internet shopping.According to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
there were over 205,000 complaints of internet commerce-related fraud
reported in 2004.More than 184,000 consumers who paid money to the
companies they complained about paid a median amount of $214. 48% of
these complaints was about online auctions where goods were never
delivered or misrepresented.Internet auctions remain #1 among the top
ten scams reported in 2005,2004,and the preceeding years.
You can refer to our Resources Section for more detailed statistical reports from 1997 to 2005.
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