Shoppers are being urged to remain vigilant for online shopping scams in the run-up to Christmas amid a spike in fraud attempts.
One in five regular online shoppers said they had lost money to fraudsters over the past 12 months, according to the Banking Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI).
Through its Fraudsmart initiative, the banking sector lobby group is warning consumers that fraudsters take advantage of the busy period from cyber Monday to Christmas to scam people out of money.
“Scammers often use contaminated links hidden within emails, social media and online adverts which lead unsuspecting shoppers to counterfeit websites,” said BPFI Niamh Davenport, head of financial crime at the BPFI.
“These fake sites often impersonate well-known stores or brands offering ‘discounted deals’ to entice people, only to disappear after a shopper has made a payment, leaving them without their purchases and out of pocket.”
According to BPFI research, eight in 10 people plan to shop online this Christmas with just 3 per cent saying they never shop online.
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“Worryingly, our research today also highlights that one in five shoppers admit to not taking basic security precautions when shopping online,” said Ms Davenport. “Almost 50 per cent of online shoppers confess to clicking on links from social media or pop-up ads instead of independently visiting and checking the website of the company.
“With more than one in 10 shoppers who have lost money in an online scam, reporting losses of over €500, we are calling on people to be extra vigilant as the Christmas shopping season ramps up, especially with cyber Monday deals flooding inboxes and social media feeds.”
Fraudsmart has now launched a tool that offers shoppers a way to check the legitimacy of websites and links before they make a purchase. Scamchecker.ie gives users information to help them make an informed choice before making a purchase online, said Ms Davenport.
“In combination with other precautions, it’s a simple but effective tool that can help avoid getting stung online this Christmas period,” she said. “The launch is also being supported by a national radio, digital and social media advertising campaign to raise awareness amongst the public.”
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