Scams & online shopping

The internet is a global marketplace where you can shop and buy almost anything you want - just by the click of a mouse.

However, this freedom can have a downside – scammers also love the ease of online shopping as it allows them to target victims online. This can make it difficult to know if you are dealing with an honest trader or just someone who is out to steal your money or identity.

Scammers can pretend to sell a product, often very cheaply, in order to steal your credit card or bank account details. They may take your money but send you a faulty or worthless product - or even nothing at all.

Many online businesses put a lot of effort into spotting scammers. Some websites may have buyer protection schemes in place that will cover you if you are the victim of fraud. Beware of sellers on online auction sites offering to make a deal outside of the site – they may be scammers, and you will lose any fraud protection that the auction site may provide.

Stay one step ahead of the scammers. Visit our SCAMwatch website to learn more about online shopping & auction scams, internet scams and dozens of other scams that target you or your small business. You can also find out more about how scams work, how to protect yourself, and report a scam via SCAMwatch. The Little Black Book of Scams is a great source of information on what you should look out for and what precautions you can take to greatly reduce the chances of being scammed online.