Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a backstory
    • ex. The movie explains the hero’s backstory at the beginning.
  2. authentic
    • ex. The restaurant serves authentic Italian food.
  3. identical
    • ex. The two dresses look identical, but one is cheaper.
  4. counterfeit
    • ex. She bought a counterfeit handbag that looked like the real brand.
  5. suspicious
    • ex. She felt suspicious when someone knocked on her door late at night.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Some online clothing stores look like small, family-run shops with a warm backstory. For example, two business websites, Melie & Co and Olivia Westwood Boutique, show handmade sweaters and stories about women closing their shops. But some of these stores are not authentic. Investigations found that different sites sold the same sweaters using identical photos. Many customers later said the products were of poor quality or counterfeit, and they could not get a refund.

Online shopping scams are common in e-commerce. A 2025 survey showed that many Americans did not receive refunds after buying items that never arrived or were fake. Experts say scammers now use AI images and emotional backstories to look authentic. These misleading ads often appear on social media and can be hard to spot.

Business owners can also suffer. Jewelry seller Deanna Newman discovered scammers using her store’s name. Angry customers complained to her, even though she had not sold them anything. Experts advise shoppers to be careful and check reviews. If a store seems suspicious, look for contact details and past reviews before buying.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Online Scams

  • In your opinion, do you know how to recognize a fake online store or ad? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • What do you think should be the punishment for online scammers? Discuss
  • Why do you think people become victims of online scams? Discuss.

Online Businesses

  • What online businesses are popular in your country? Discuss.
  • Many customers do not get refunds for fake or poor-quality products. In your opinion, what can be done to protect buyers from online scams? Discuss.
  • If you had an online business, what would you do to make your business successful (ex. sell high-quality products, have good customer service)? Discuss.