Keep safe when online, advises The Consumer Council

World Consumer Rights Day – 15 March 2018

Protecting yourself from online cybercrime and scams are two themes for this year’s World Consumer Rights Day, on 15 March 2018. With this in mind, The Consumer Council has 3 top tips on how to shop online safely and avoid being scammed.

Philippa McKeown-Brown, Head of Consumer Empowerment and Protection at The Consumer Council said “Many of us now shop online but not all of us know how to recognise a safe website. Follow our top tips to shop safely online:”

1.    Make sure the website will keep your card details safe – look for ‘https’ in the website address (the ‘s’ stands for secure) and check for a padlock icon in the browser bar.

2.    If you’re buying from a company you haven’t used before, research them first to check reviews and previous customers’ feedback.

3.    Avoid clicking on web links sent to you in an email as these may direct you to a fake (but realistic looking) website. Better to type in a website address yourself into a search engine and see what comes up.

For more top tips download a copy of The Consumer Council’s ‘Guide to Shopping Safely Online’ and ‘Scams – Know the signs, stop the crime’ leaflet from www.consumercouncil.org.uk or request a free hardcopy by telephoning 0800 121 6022, Twitter (ConsumerCouncil) or Facebook (Consumer Council Northern Ireland).

For more information and advice on scams visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni