Shop Online Safely

Sourced from Get Safe Online

How to pick trustworthy online retailers and avoid scams
Millions of people buy online every day without any problems. With a bit of commonsense and knowledge, you can avoid problems with ecommerce.

Risks
Buying goods that aren’t delivered.
Goods which don’t match the description.
Delays and hassles with online purchases.
Poor after-sales service.
Misuse of your credit or debit card details.

Deal with reputable sellers
Pick good sellers, especially when buying from private individuals.
Look for evidence of a physical address and telephone contact details.
Don’t judge a person or company solely by their web site.
Be especially cautious when buying from overseas companies.
Check sellers’ privacy policy and returns policy.
Use an appropriate, safe means of online payment to get some protection against non-delivery.

Use a secure website
Make sure you use a secure web site to enter credit card information. Look for a padlock symbol in the bottom right of the browser window and for the website address to begin with ‘https://’ (see Learn about secure web pages).
If you are using the latest browser technology and the shop has the latest website security, known as an Extended Validation SSL Certificate, your address bar may turn green when you are on a secure site.
If you get a warning about a certificate be very cautious indeed. However, the padlock is not an absolute guarantee of safety and it says nothing about the business’s ethics.
Click on the padlock to check that the seller is who they say they are and that their certificate is current and registered to the right address.
Don’t be fooled by a padlock that appears on the web page itself. It’s easy for conmen to copy the image of a padlock. You need to look for one that is in the window frame of the browser itself.

Beware of scams
If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Cross-check information on the internet and see if anyone else has had problems.
Beware of work from home scams which promise easy profits but never pay.
Buy from reputable companies.
Be extremely wary of anything that is offered in an unsolicited or spam email.

Selling online
If you are a business selling online:
Validate new customers and suppliers using published information (e.g. address or phone number).
Obtain a credit status report before shipping goods on credit.
E-commerce businesses are liable for any fraud on cards they accept (unless they are using 'Verified by Visa' or 'Mastercard Securecode'. These systems can help protect businesses from chargebacks that result from fraud).
Using the Address Verification System (AVS) and Card Security Code (CSC) checking systems will significantly reduce the risks from e-commerce fraud.
Authorisation does not guarantee payment and so businesses must do all checks to validate the customer and delivery address.