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01225 760372
Are You Shopping Online?
Are You Shopping Online?
Wiltshire
18/07/2020
Have
you bought anything online recently?…
Almost 34% of all retail sales during May 2020 were carried out online, and new
research suggests that only 16% of UK consumers intend to return to their old
shopping habits post-lockdown.
Online shopping fraud
during lockdown
Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime,
received over 16,000
reports relating to online shopping and auction fraud during
the lockdown, with losses totalling over £16m.
Members of the public have reported buying mobile phones (19%), vehicles (22%),
electronics (10%) such as games consoles, AirPods and MacBooks , and footwear
(4%) on sites such as eBay (18%), Facebook (18%), Gumtree (10%) and Depop (6%),
only to have the items never arrive.
Top tips for shopping
online securely:
Choosing where to shop:
If you’re making a purchase from a company or seller you don’t know and trust,
carry out some research first. For example, by checking to see if others have
used the site and what their experience was.
Email accounts:
Use a strong, separate password for your email account. Criminals can use
your email to access other online accounts, such as those you use for online
shopping.
Scam messages:
Some of the emails or texts you receive about amazing offers may contain links
to fake websites. Not all links are bad, but if you’re unsure don't use the
link, go separately to the website. And remember, if a deal looks too good to
be true, it probably is.
Payment method:
If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one
as other payment providers may not provide the same protection.
What to do if you’ve
fallen victim to online shopping fraud
We all make mistakes and these days the scams can be incredibly convincing.
If you think you’ve visited, or made a purchase on, a bogus website, you should
first, take a note of the website's address, then close down your internet
browser. You should then report the details to Action Fraud and
contact your bank to seek advice.
Whether you've been a victim of fraud will depend on how much information
you’ve provided to the website, so keep an eye on your bank transactions,
if you can. Contact your bank immediately about anything that you don’t
recognise, even small amounts.
For more information about how
to stay safe online, please visitwww.actionfraud.police.uk/cybercrime