Black Friday and Cyber Monday have landed and due to the significant increase in the numbers of people shopping online, gardaí have issued guidelines on how to do so safely.
Some scams can be quite obvious, while others can be more elaborate and difficult to recognise, An Garda Síochána said in a statement to coincide with Black Friday.
The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau listed a number of “golden rules” for shopping online:
- 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.
- However, the padlock symbol alone does not make a website legitimate, gardaí say. 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.
- Use credit cards when purchasing online – they have a strong customer protection policy. Alternatively, use an online payment option.
- Do not send money direct to someone you do not know.
- 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.
- Use consumer review sites like Trustpilot.com to check a website’s reliability.
- Use check.cyberskills.ie and fraudsmart.scamchecker.ie.
“Many people are being deceived by shopping on cloned websites or on legitimate ‘second sales’ sites or where they are persuaded to go off-site for a cheaper cash deal,” gardaí said.
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“Knowing what to look for and how to avoid scams is the best way to stay safe.”
