Secure sites and confirming

Before you start entering your details on a website make sure you are on a secure site. A secure site will have https in the address bar and there will often be a padlock symbol either next to the address, or in your status bar.

Once you have completed all the form you will see a confirmation page with all the details of what you’ve just bought. This will normally include a reference number and a confirmation receipt which will be emailed to you. It’s a good idea to also print out the confirmation receipt for your records.

When you’ve received your goods, if there is something wrong with them you can return them by post. Each shop will have different rules on returning items so check their terms and conditions to find out about their specific policy.

How do I shop safely with my credit card online?

Online payment card fraud is a huge problem, but you don't have to become a victim. Most often, fraudsters steal card details by persuading web users to give them away voluntarily. It's possible to reduce the risk of falling for their scams by paying close attention when shopping online.

Using a payment card online has become so commonplace that we may hardly ever stop to think about the risks. But card fraud is common, and the majority of it involves online and phone purchases.

In 2011, the UK lost £341m to card fraud, and about 65% of this was 'card not present' fraud - abuse of card details in online and telephone transactions. It's a well-organised criminal business and the profit margins are huge.

Sometimes a trader will simply take your money and not deliver the goods - as in the case of 'grey' ticket sales for popular events. But this is quite rare. It accounted for just over 3% of all card fraud in 2011 and is not strictly 'card not present' fraud, it's just plain old-fashioned fraud.

'Card not present' fraudsters usually think bigger than this. They buy big blocks of stolen card details (exploiting many victims at once), so they can buy goods which are then sold on in order to launder the money. If they can get PINs as well, they may forge cards and withdraw cash in countries where the security chip on the card is still not used.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14