Published on: 2026-07-22
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Seasonal discounts from online sellers are an opportunity to purchase a variety of goods at advantageous prices. Many people specifically wait for the start of summer sales to update their wardrobe, buy household appliances, or prepare their child for school. However, in the pursuit of savings, there is a risk of encountering unscrupulous sellers and receiving poor-quality goods. Materials will help protect the family budget. consumer portal the cities of Moscow. The articles, tip sheets, and videos collect expert advice on how to promptly recognize fraudsters, return or exchange purchases if they are unsuitable or found to have defects.
“The materials of the metropolitan consumer portal will be useful at all stages of online shopping. They will help verify the reliability of the online store, indicate what to pay attention to when choosing products, and explain how to protect your payment data when paying online. In addition, expert recommendations will be useful in situations when the delivered item differs in quality, style, or size from the photo in the store catalog,” the press service said.
Department of Information Technology Moscow’s.
Ensure the reliability of the online store and the seller
Announcements of price crashes, product liquidation, big discounts, or grand sales attract attention and prompt urgent purchases. However, experts recommend not making rash decisions. First, it is necessary to thoroughly study information about the seller, the online store, the company page on the marketplace, and the product itself. Tips on what to pay attention to when checking this information are collected in the thematic section. “Remote trading”.
They recommend, for example, paying attention to the seller’s rating and customer reviews about them. They also advise being cautious if questions about the product are suggested to be discussed off-platform: in social networks or messengers. One should also be careful with proposals to make an advance payment. These and other important recommendations are gathered in the material. “How not to become a victim of fraudsters when buying goods and ordering services online?”. From it, you can also learn about common types of consumer fraud.
Secure online payments
Section articles “Financial Services” will help secure their online payments. Material “How to choose a payment method for goods and services” will introduce various types of electronic payment services. The article “Risks associated with bank card transactions” will explain how to prevent unauthorized withdrawals of funds. And in the article “Safe payments on the internet” It explains what information must be provided on the conscientious seller’s website. In addition, experts advise issuing an additional or virtual card for purchases, keeping electronic receipts, correspondence with the seller, and screenshots of the website pages with product specifications.
Return or exchange goods
How to return a product purchased remotely is explained in another article of the portal. It provides information about the differences between shopping in offline and online stores, and how to act if a dispute arises with the seller. For example, who should bear the costs of transporting a defective product, how to write a written complaint, and within what time frame the seller is obligated to refund the amount paid for the product.
In the other article explain how to return a product that was purchased on promotion or discount. Experts talk about restoring redeemed bonus points, returning discounted items, and purchases that came with gifts from the seller. The portal’s materials also clarify which responsibility to customers is borne by the marketplace owner, while another is borne by the store that sells on this platform.
In the section “Legal Information” information has been collected about out-of-court dispute resolution and about how to apply to the court.
In addition, how to act in a dispute situation can be found out through “Electronic Assistant”. If necessary, the service will offer a template for drafting a complaint to the seller or a statement of claim to the court. Portal users also have access to appointment for an online consultation with specialists from the Moscow Department of Rospotrebnadzor.
Consumer Portal created in 2022 by the Moscow Government and the Moscow branch of Rospotrebnadzor. The resource hosts over 230 materials: articles, instructions, memos, webinars, expert interviews. In addition to practical expert recommendations, the publications also contain the names of relevant regulations that can be relied upon in dealings with legal entities or individual entrepreneurs to protect consumer rights.
The creation and support of information security tools, as well as countering cyber fraud, align with the objectives of the national project “Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State”. More details about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
Operationally get the main news on the official Moscow city channels in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.