Internet shopping is predicted to increase by around 12% during the Christmas shopping season, according to new research by web monitoring firm Hitwise.
Online shopping guide Shopsafe.co.uk is already noticing the trend - with a third more shoppers visiting the site in November of this year than in December of last year. “Surfers are more aware this year of security concerns because of high profile new stories. Online shoppers are becoming more discerning about where they shop and are looking for recommended sites to protect them from dangers” says Simon Crisp, Director.
Shopsafe.co.uk has published its annual list of top tips for safe online shopping.
- Shred all your used till receipts from high street shops - it will help protect you from identity theft
- Use web sites you know or are recommended to you - better the devil you know
- Only enter your card details over a secure connection - look for the page address beginning https://
- Always print out your order confirmation including the retailers phone number and address - so you can get back to them
- Try to use a credit card online - it's the law that you can get some of your money back if it all goes wrong
- Don't reply to emails asking you to input any personal information after clicking a link - it's probably a scam. You can always phone the company to check
Published on Tuesday, November 8th, 2005.