5 TIPS TO THWART FRAUDSTERS WHEN SHOPPING ON THE WEB
● Pay by card. Fraudsters like bank transfers and will often encourage you to pay this way because once they have your money they can disappear without trace. Genuine sellers should allow you to pay by credit card. Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act you are covered by credit card purchase protection if goods or services bought from £100 to £30,000 turn out to be fraudulent.
● Purchase in person. When buying from online marketplaces and social media platforms crooks will often offer to post items to you, but then disappear once your money is in their bank account. Try to find someone who lives locally for a purchase even if it means paying more. That way you can make the payment when you take possession of the item you’re buying. If a seller makes excuses about why they cannot meet in person, this should be taken as a warning sign.
● Take a step back. Fraudsters want you to focus on the item and price – and not to stop and think about whether the seller can be trusted. They also use confidence tricks, building up trust with heart-warming back stories and photos. Do not rush in, but get a second opinion before parting with any money – because when a deal looks too good to be true, it usually is. Get Safe Online has a ‘check a website’ facility that allows you to see whether a website is likely to be genuine or fraudulent. Go to getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite.
● Watch out for fake shopping websites. Cyber security firm FSecure says although these are increasingly sophisticated, there are still telltale signs that they aren’t genuine. Check the domain name suffix, for example. The use of .co.com instead of .co.uk or .com should raise concern. Browse the website and look for spelling mistakes and make sure it has contact details that can be reached. An ‘https’ prefix and a padlock symbol on a website address is a good indicator that a website is secure and not a fake.
● Only use PayPal Friends and Family when paying someone you know and trust. Payments made in this way are not eligible for the usual PayPal consumer protection if things go wrong.