News
Christmas shoppers forgo online safety checks
Posted 08/12/17
New research among shoppers has shown that more than two thirds of those surveyed* 听leave out key safety checks when shopping online, prompting fears that shoppers could be putting themselves at risk of fraud this Christmas.
The research from National Trading Standards found that 68% of respondents tend to leave out at least one simple safety check when shopping online, such as looking for signs that the website is using a secure, encrypted connection, looking at the returns policy or searching for reviews of the seller.
Reasons for leaving out these vital checks included 鈥榖eing in a rush鈥� (24%) and 鈥榖ecause I am looking for the cheapest offer鈥� (23%), with one in five people admitting that they don鈥檛 know what to look for (21%).
With most Brits planning to shop online for presents this festive season[1], National Trading Standards is advising people to take their time and do their research before pressing 鈥榩urchase鈥�.
Warning over social media purchases
Just under one in three people (28%) admitted to buying items from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram 鈥� or websites promoted through these platforms.
Purchasing products via social media sites is notoriously risky as they are awash with misleading advertising, counterfeit and unsafe products, subscription traps and many other scams. As part of its work to keep consumers safe online the National Trading Standards eCrime Team has helped remove 9,000 social media profiles and websites peddling counterfeit goods since 2015 and has been involved in over 100 investigations.听
Stopping goods at national entry points
National Trading Standards is also working at key ports, airports and postal hubs to detain unsafe products destined to end up under the Christmas tree. In recent weeks just one of the teams, based at Thurrock Council, has detained items including:
- 200 wooden pull-along train toys which posed both a choking hazard and a strangulation hazard
- 431 sets of LED Christmas lights which were imported from China but failed to comply with EU safety laws
- 50 sets of jewellery (consisting of a tiara, necklace and earrings) which was found to be unsafe, with the tiara containing 886 times the maximum limit of cadmium, a chemical element known to cause cancer
- 144 cartons of assorted toys including bouncing balls, yo-yo balls, fidget spinners and toy guns which contained hazards including LED lights and button cell batteries which could be easily removed and swallowed
- 90 wireless toy drones which did not comply with safety standards for reasons such as exposed lithium batteries and unenclosed blades.听听
Lord Toby Harris, Chair, National Trading Standards said: 鈥淎s Christmas delivery deadlines draw closer it can be tempting to rush your online purchases, but I would urge people to take their time and do simple safety checks before pressing 鈥榩urchase鈥�.
鈥淭hese checks aren鈥檛 infallible, but by taking the precautions that are available to us we can make it less likely that we will end up with something unsatisfactory 鈥� or dangerous 鈥� under the Christmas tree.
鈥淣ational Trading Standards teams around the country are working tirelessly to protect consumers this Christmas by tackling fraud online and preventing unsafe items from entering the country. To help us continue to clamp down on this issue we urge you to report any suspicious websites or dodgy vendors to the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06鈥�.
Leon Livermore, Chief Executive, 51黑料 said: 鈥淩esearch like this is instrumental to the future success of trading standards services. With funding stretched dangerously thin, intricate knowledge of consumers鈥� online shopping habits means local services can focus their remaining resources to best support consumers in their area.鈥�
鈥淣ational Trading Standards is essential to UK consumer protection, and offer crucial funding for Local Authorities to tackle to key issues that affect millions.鈥�
Consumer Minister Margot James said: 鈥淭he UK has a strong consumer protection regime, but people still need to make sure they are taking the same precautions online that they would in person when buying products. Christmas is a good time for people to start checking before they buy to make sure they are protected when ordering online.鈥�
National Trading Standards Buy Safe Checklist
Look closely at the website before you hit the 鈥榖uy鈥� button:
o听听听 Try searching for reviews of the product or the seller 鈥� do these seem genuine?
o听听听 Are there lots of spelling or grammar mistakes on the site? This can be a clue that a business is not professionally run.
o听听听 See if you can find out where the company鈥檚 head office is based 鈥� and whether that fits with how the website presents itself.
o听听听 Do they have a landline number you can call if there are any problems? Bear in mind that if the company is based abroad, it can be more difficult to get a complaint dealt with or return a faulty product.
o听听听 Read the small print 鈥� notice if anything seems odd, repetitive or in incorrect English.
o听听听 Is there an 鈥榮鈥� at the end of the 鈥榟ttp鈥� part of the web address, or is there a padlock symbol in the task bar? This means the website is using an encrypted system that keeps your details more secure.
o听听听 Be wary of promotions and discount offers that appear on your social media feeds 鈥� these can look authentic as they often try to imitate genuine brands, but in many cases the link will take you to a 鈥榗opycat鈥� website selling fake or counterfeit products at discount prices.
Don鈥檛 be dazzled by a bargain:听Are the prices incredibly low? If they look too good to be true, they probably are 鈥� particularly if some of your other checks have put doubts in your mind.
Be aware that criminals exploit high demand:听When items like branded children鈥檚 toys start to sell out at well-known retailers, the void is quickly filled by crooks churning out poor quality imitations that can put children in danger. Don鈥檛 鈥榩anic buy鈥� from the first website you find 鈥� do your usual common-sense checks.
Report it:听National Trading Standards needs your help to clamp down on unsafe products from abroad. If you believe that any online or face-to-face seller is selling potentially dangerous goods, or something you鈥檝e bought has made you suspicious, report it to Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06.
Buying online for onward sale online?听If you do this you are assuming the legal responsibilities of a business to ensure that what you鈥檙e selling complies with product safety and intellectual property legislation. For information about this visit听.
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