It’s that time of year again when the shops are crazy with Christmas shoppers looking for the perfect gift for friends and family, but for those of us who are too busy (or sane) to go shopping then the Internet is the best place to find the latest gadgets at the lowest prices.
Each year Brits are spending more online over the Christmas period than ever before, taking a look at last year’s figures 44% of the UK’s Internet adult population increased online spending compared to 2009 according to eConsultancy.com taking the total amount spent online to £6.8bn in December according to the Guardian.co.uk. Although part of this increase will be due to the extremely bad weather conditions experienced last December.
With all this additional online activity expected to continue this year Trading Standards officers are advising people to take precautions whilst Christmas shopping over the Internet. Although people are becoming more savvy with many people regularly using ecommerce to purchase all kinds of goods not just Christmas presents.
The guide is a 50 page booklet outlining ways you can protect yourself online and there is even a section on how to protect yourself on mobile devices. The guide is endorsed by the Association of Chief Trading Standards Officers and the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Some pointers taken from the guide to protect you while shopping online include:
Purchasing from trusted sellers will protect you. Always check out reviews or do a quick search on Google for the company name. Does the site show an address or contact details, if you are unsure then call the number provided to see if the company exists. If purchasing from an auction site ensure you use sellers with good ratings. Don’t be fooled by a flashy website as this can be easily created in no time at all.
When making a payment use a safe way to purchase your goods to protect yourself from non-delivery of goods. If you pay by credit or debit card the card issuer or a third party such as WorldPay, will verify your information and pays the seller after deducting a commission. For consumers, this gives some security against non-delivery or fraud but only for purchases worth more than £100.
Payments made using a service like PayPal often include buyer and seller protection, but you should read the T&Cs.
When making payments online you should be checking for secure website signs such as the padlock symbol in the bottom right of the browser. Don’t be fooled by websites who place the padlock on their site the symbol must appear in the browser. Also check the address bar for the sites URL it should begin with https://. The newest browsers may turn your address bar green when you are on a secure site using something known as Extended Validation SSL Certificate.
Internet shopping can often be cheaper than shopping in store but there are many conmen online which may exploit people and use this heightened period of activity to take advantage of those who are not online security conscious.
Guest Article by Louise Goldstein
My name is Alan Potts and I'm the Editor of the Antivirus-BUYability web site and Managing Director of BUYability Limited. You can connect with me or keep up to date with new posts on this blog via the following social media sites: 
