Tech Tuesday: Is that Christmas bargain too good to be true?
How to spot a fake online shop before you hand over your money.
By Vivienne Westwood
Picture this. It's late October and you spot the perfect gift: a hard-to-find toy, a designer coat, a gadget everyone wants. The price is half what the big shops charge, and the website looks smart. A countdown timer says "Only 2 left!"
It is exactly what a fake shop wants you to feel. Every year, as Christmas approaches, convincing copycat websites appear and disappear within weeks, taking payments and sending nothing. Here is how to check before you click "buy".
CHECK HOW OLD THE SHOP IS
A genuine-looking shop that only appeared a few weeks ago deserves a second look. Search for the business on Companies House (gov.uk) and see when it was set up. Another quick check is to search the web address on a "who is" lookup site, which shows when a domain was registered.
LOOK AT THE CONTACT DETAILS
A real business has a physical address, a working phone number and a returns policy written in clear English. If the only way to reach them is a web form, or the address turns out to be a car park on Google Maps, walk away.
READ REVIEWS IN MORE THAN ONE PLACE
Reviews on the shop's own website prove very little. Search for the shop's name along with the word "scam" or "reviews". If you find nothing at all, that is also a warning sign for a shop claiming to be popular.
BEWARE THE TOO-LOW PRICE
A discount of 10 or 20 per cent is normal. A brand-new, in-demand item at 70 per cent off is rarely a bargain. It is usually bait.
PAY IN A WAY THAT PROTECTS YOU
Where you can, pay by credit card or PayPal rather than bank transfer or debit card. On purchases between £100 and £30,000, a credit card gives you extra legal protection, called Section 75, if the goods never arrive. Never pay a shop by direct bank transfer unless you know and trust them.
If you have already paid a shop you now doubt, contact your bank straight away. The sooner you call, the better the chance of getting help.
Got a tech question of your own? Send it to tech@lovepoundbury.org. It might feature in a future Tech Tuesday.
In two weeks: Parcel and delivery scams, and how to tell a real "missed delivery" message from a fake.
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