Today's Close-Up

Pandemic Increases Online Shopping Pitfalls (2020x33)

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The coronavirus pandemic is fueling a surge in e-commerce, with stay-at-home consumers increasingly going online to buy everything from daily necessities to luxury goods. But the growth in internet shopping is also attracting unscrupulous sellers, and for buyers that means an increase in risk. Reports of defective and dangerous products abound. In some cases, faulty goods have proved to be life-threatening. We look at what the operators of e-commerce sites are doing to crack down on shady vendors, and what buyers can do themselves to navigate the pitfalls of online shopping.