Gardaí are urging people to shop safely online in the run up to Christmas in support of a Europe-wide effort to tackle fraud.
Between January 1st and October 31st, 489 incidents of online shopping fraud were reported to Gardaí, with the average loss totalling €2,306 per case.
Online shopping fraud represented a total loss in excess of €1.1 million to Irish consumers.
Gardaí also noted the danger to businesses of ‘Card Not Present’ fraud, which is the use of stolen of compromised credit card, bank accounts or payments which result in the business losing out.
There were 346 reports of Card Not Present fraud to Gardaí in the first ten months of this year, costing Irish businesses €374,751 in total, or an average loss of €1,084 per incident.
Level 5 restrictions has forced shoppers online in the hunt for their Christmas presents, but Gardaí are urging people to follow the ‘golden rules’ for online shopping:
- Buy from trusted sources
- Think twice before purchasing
- Check the seller's reviews and ratings
- Ensure data transfer is secure
- Save purchase documents
- Don't leave payment or identity infomation behind if you decide not to purchase
- Check the website's payment security
- Do not send card details by email or text
- Do not send money to someone you do not know
- Use credit cards when shopping online
