Cyber
Monday shopping? How to spot SCAM websites and avoid being ripped off
But
online shopping comes with risks, and recent research from comparethemarket.com
has found cyber criminals are expected to pocked £8.6million from tomorrow’s
spending bonanza alone.
The
website’s spokesman Simon McCulloch said: “Cyber Monday is a major retail event
and a salmon run for criminals who will try to seize money from unsuspecting
shoppers and retail outlets.”
Action
Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime, released
figures showing Christmas shoppers were fleeced out of more than £10million in online scams last year.
Alex
Neill from consumer body which? added: “If you see any deals advertised on
Cyber Monday that look too good to be true, be careful. Fraudsters will do all
they can to try and catch you out.”
But there
are ways to protect yourself.
Firstly,
double-check the domain name. Which? said: “A lot of fraudulent websites will
use a domain name similar to a brand or product name. For example, website
domains such as ipadoffers.net or discountnikeclothes.com should set alarm
bells ringing.”
Be wary
of domains which end in .net or .org, as they are rarely used for online
shopping and may be misused by dodgy organisations.
Keep an
eye out for poor spelling, grammar and English. Which? said: “This could mean
the site isn’t genuine and has been put together by someone abroad looking to
make a quick profit.”
Check
what the shipping and returns policy is - if there isn’t one, proceed with
caution.
When
using a website, ensure the address beings “https”, and if you are unsure,
check forums where other consumers alert people to scam pages.
Before
purchasing, check the company’s social media feeds for recent activity and to
see what other consumers have said about them.
Keep a
close eye on your bank statement for unusual activity, as cyber criminals often
make small but regular thefts which are harder to spot than large one-off
amounts.