Irish consumers lost €22 million in credit and debit card fraud last year as they received fake or counterfeit goods, items not as described, or no goods at all after shopping online.
Online shopping fraud has become more prevalent during the Covid-19 pandemic as more people shop online, according to the gardaí.
An Garda Síochána is warning of a 50 per cent increase in reported crimes from 2019 to 2020, as up to 10 million online transactions were carried out over the Christmas shopping period alone.
Detective Inspector Mel Smyth said consumers should never purchase items that they have found through social media.
“The most important product for a fraudster is data. And that data is your name, your address, your date of birth, your credit card number and your PIN number,” he said.
“Once they get that data, and get into your credit card and your bank account, they will very very quickly use that card to make purchases online.”
The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) has issued advice to consumers when undertaking online shopping:
- Use secure websites and make sure the website you are on is real — not cloned or fake. Make sure there is an "https" at the beginning of the web address and a padlock symbol displayed beside the URL before the purchase is made — this indicates a secure connection.
- Look for trust seals — they are commonly placed on homepages, login pages, and checkout pages. They’re immediately recognisable and they remind visitors that they are secure on this page.
- Where selling platforms offer an official, safe way of paying, use this rather than sending money directly to a third party — otherwise use an online payment option such as PayPal, which helps to protect you.
- Check their payment methods — should be credit cards. Never transfer money direct or pay cash.
- If a website is asking you to send money to a random PayPal address, wire it by Western Union, pay in iTunes gift cards or only deals in cryptocurrency, that should send up a red flag. The majority of the time, those methods are done to avoid scrutiny and ensure that a transaction cannot be reversed.
- Always keep a record of your purchase, print or save a copy of your order. Ensure you read the terms and conditions associated with any purchase.
- Do not under any circumstances use public Wi-Fi when making payments — switch to 3G/4G on your phone if necessary.
The GNECB also warned consumers to be wary of auction sites where there is a sense of urgency.
