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Safe shopping online

We Brits are well known for our love of tea drinking and complaining about the weather, but now it seems we can add a new item to our list of national characteristics – internet shopping. According to the latest government figures published at the start of 2009, in 2008 73% of us ordered goods online, compared to just 26% in 2002.

Is it any wonder we’ve fallen in love with the world of ecommerce? Go online and there are no queues, no surly sales staff to deal with, plus it’s very often cheaper. According to this article on the BBC, reporting on research conducted by Ofcom in June 2009, the average UK household could make savings of up to £70 a month simply by shopping online.

But while the advantages of buying online are clear, many of us still feel an element of fear as we type in our credit card numbers. Will our details be stolen by hackers? Will our goods even arrive?

Thankfully, according to Card Watch, a UK banking initiative that aims to raise awareness of credit card fraud, using a computer is actually a relatively safe way of making purchases, if we all follow some simple rules.

According to the UK payments association APACS, one in eight online shoppers have failed to log out of ecommerce sites, leaving their financial details available to others, while one in four online shoppers do not check whether a website is safe and secure.

So what else can we do to protect ourselves? Sainsbury’s Finance has four great tips for smart shopping online.

Make sure you trust the vendor
Use sites that have been recommended to you by friends, or ones that you have checked and found to be secure, such as those on the ShopSafe website.

Don’t take websites at face value, even if they are well-designed. If it’s an online outlet you’ve never used before, do a quick search on the name to see if you can find any reviews from previous customers. That should show you if they have a good or poor reputation for service.

When you’ve done that, check the site is secure before inputting your details. Being ‘secure’ basically means your information is encrypted before being sent over the web and stored on a secure database. There should be a locked padlock or unbroken key symbol in your browser (rather than just on the web page itself), and the online retailer’s address will change from ‘http’ to ‘https’ when the connection is secure. For more information, see the Get Safe Online website.

Write down all the details
When you’ve bought goods, print out your order and make copies of the retailer’s terms and conditions, returns policy and delivery conditions. Make sure you make a note of a landline phone number and a street address – never rely on just an email address and PO Box number.

Use a credit card
According to the government website Consumer Direct, if the goods you intend to buy cost over £100, it’s worth paying by credit card. That’s because under UK law (Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974), the credit card company can be equally liable for breaches of contract or misrepresentations made by the supplier in relation to purchases for goods or services costing between £100 and £30,000.

To add an extra layer of protection, many online retailers are also using Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode. These schemes involve asking you for a password along with your normal card details and aim to prevent fraudsters from using your card details on participating sites as they will not know your password.

Keep good records
Check bank statements as soon as you receive them. If you find any suspicious transactions, contact your bank or building society immediately.

If you regularly shop online, consider opening a separate credit card account just for these purchases so you can spot problems as soon as they arise.

Sainsbury’s offer a range of financial services including travel insurance, savings accounts, life insurance, home insurance, loans and pet insurance. Visit www.sainsburysbank.co.uk for quotes and more information.