Gardaí are reminding the public to be cautious of scams while shopping online, especially during the busy Black Friday and Cyber Monday period.
With more and more people taking to online outlets to sort out their Christmas shopping, the public is being reminded to be wary of potential scams and fraudsters.
While some scams can be obvious to spot, others may be more elaborate or difficult to spot.
The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau has offered the following tips to help protect against online fraud;
When shopping online make sure you use trusted and reputable websites.
Gardaí say many people fall victim to online scams by doing their shopping via cloned websites or “second sales” sites – or other sites where consumers are asked to go “off-site” for a cheaper cash deal.
Shoppers are advised to stick to well-known retailers and brands when doing their online shopping.
The ‘golden rules’ of online shopping:
- Use secure websites/trusted sources
- Make sure the website you are on is real – not cloned or fake.
- Make sure your internet access is secure.
- Make sure there is a ‘https’ at the beginning of the web address and a ‘padlock’ symbol displayed beside the website address before the purchase is made – this indicates a secure connection. The padlock symbol alone does not make a website legitimate. When the beginning of the retailer’s website address changes from ‘http’ to ‘https’ before a purchase is made it means that you are using a secure connection.
- Check reviews and ratings – especially for unknown stores and sellers.
- Look for the trust seals – trust seals are commonly placed on homepages, login pages, and checkout pages. They are immediately recognisable and they remind visitors that they are secure on this page. You can click on them to ensure they are authentic.
- Always use credit cards when purchasing online – they have a strong customer protection policy. Alternatively, use an online payment option, of which there are many.
- Do not send money direct to someone you do not know – you wouldn’t give money to a random person on the street, the internet should be no different.
- Never send your credit card details – including PIN number or any other information – to any person by email.
- If you do not complete a purchase do not submit or save your card details.
- Never purchase through social media or where the ‘offer’ came to you via social media.
- Stop, think and check before committing to buy.
You should use consumer review sites like TrustPilot.com to see how reliable a website is. You should also use check.cyberskills.ie and fraudsmart.scamchecker.ie.
Gardaí have also issued some advice for retailers to avoid being defrauded during the busy holiday season:
- Know your product (is there a history of it being attractive to fraudsters?)
- Know your customer
- Implement safe payment methods
- Keep data secure.
