The situation created by the cost of living crisis is creating plenty of opportunities for fraudsters to trick people with purchase scams, according to the internet safety website Get Safe Online.
Around six-in-10 people surveyed (62%) said they had altered the way they shop, as household finances continue to be squeezed, while 43% of online shoppers said they are seeking out special offers and deals more regularly.
Alongside that three-in-10 people said they had noticed an increase in fake websites and sellers when shopping online.
Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online, said: “Falling for a purchase scam is easier than you think. Unfortunately, fraud is committed by highly skilled, professionally-organised people who employ web designers and rent call centres to give off the appearance of a legitimate company.
“Many people still believe that fraud is easy to spot, and isn’t something that can happen to them, however amateur adverts and websites are becoming a thing of the past.
“Today, people can make a living out of tricking people out of their money, going to great lengths to lure you in. It’s upsetting at the best of times, but the impact is felt more profusely when money is tight.”
Tips to avoid purchase fraud
Get Safe Online recommend a few things to keep in mind to avoid purchase fraud:
- Pay by card. Fraudsters like bank transfers and will encourage people to pay via this method.
- If possible, see goods in person before buying. Fraudsters take the time and effort to create profiles or websites that make you believe they are a genuine seller.
- Look beyond the item and price. Stop and think to check whether a purchase is safe
In the survey, 92% of respondents said they would take proactive steps to keep their money safe from online purchase scams, including taking care before clicking on links and avoiding websites that ask for too much personal information.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel