Be Fraud Aware this Festive Season

We’re now entering the peak online shopping period of the year with Black Friday, Cyber Monday now upon us and the Christmas rush about to begin. At this time of year, fraudsters are particularly primed and waiting to take advantage of unsuspecting shoppers.

That’s why it’s so important to take precautions when shopping online.  Scammers frequently use contaminated links hidden within emails, social media and online adverts to trick shoppers into visiting counterfeit websites. These fake websites often look almost identical to well-known retail websites or to online brands offering ‘discounted deals’ to entice people.

A great way to stay safe is to visit FraudSMART’s Scamchecker.ie website. This offers shoppers a free and simple way to check the legitimacy of websites and links before they make a purchase.

Scamchecker will cross-reference the link with a real-time database of known scam sites and malware hosts. This helps shoppers make an informed decision before making purchases online.

Top Tips for Shopping Safely Online this Christmas

• Look for a padlock symbol beside the website address. This indicates that the website is secure.
• Always check that the website address begins with ‘https’.
• Avoid using public wi-fi when making online payments. Always switch to a personal network like 3G or 4G.
• Avoid clicking on links from social media or pop-up ads. Type the website address directly into your browser.
• Beware of deals that look too good to be true.
• Stick to well known websites or retailers that you are familiar with.
• Use ie to verify the legitimacy of a website before making a purchase.