Consumers across the Falkirk Council area are being warned to shop safely online in the run up to Christmas this year.
With ‘Cyber Monday’ (28 November) seeing shoppers intending to spend an average of nearly £200 in 2016, Falkirk Council is urging consumers to be aware of potential scams and to take some simple precautions before ordering goods.
Best advice and practice when ordering online:
- Search around online and check review sites for reputable retailers
- Where possible use a credit card if you are spending over £100 as it offers extra protection
- Always use trusted websites and check there is a padlock symbol on the top left of your web browser or it displays ‘https://’ and not just ‘http:// - where the ‘s’ stands for secure
- Look at delivery charges, timescales as well as the retailer’s returns policy
- Keep passwords safe, strong and change them frequently
- Have up to date anti-virus and security software installed
If you have a complaint about goods and services that you’ve purchased, contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506.
Councillor Jim Blackwood, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for Public Protection said: “The vast majority of online retailers are reputable but sadly, there are too many examples of consumers paying for goods they never received or were unable to get their money back on inadequate items.
“By taking some simple precautions, consumers can ensure they are protected and can shop safely in the run up to Christmas.
“Even on Cyber Monday our fundamental rule about buying anything is if the offer appears to be too good to be true, it probably is so caution is always advised.”
Cyber Monday is traditionally the busiest online shopping day of the year with £934m spent across the UK in 2015.
More information is available from the Cyberaware website.