The State Police takes the field for the protection of online Christmas shopping: from the experience acquired in the protection from the risks of fraud by the Postal and Communications Police, a guide with practical advice and suggestions for buying online with greater peace of mind.
The race to buy Christmas gifts has now begun!
What better opportunity to provide useful advice and avoid that Christmas shopping aimed at buying gifts for the people we care about, leads us to potential scams, thanks in this moment of health emergency, even the search for offers at very low cost and the very short times for online purchases.
From the experience acquired in protecting against the risks of online fraud, the Postal and Communications Police provides a series of information to guarantee network security, the protection of personal data, protection from fraud and risks in purchases: hot topics and particularly felt by those who use the Internet in this period of lockdown in which there is a continuous growth of fraudulent conduct, increasingly sophisticated, on e-commerce platforms.
The number of reports and complaints received on commissariatodips.it, added to those of people arrested and reported in 2020, recorded an increase of 89.1% compared to the same period of the previous year. For this reason, the Postal and Communications Police has strengthened every useful tool to help surfers, occasional or frequent, to feel more confident about their next purchase and at the same time to counteract the scams implemented on the Internet, also by closing virtual spaces.
These are particularly useful tips as Christmas approaches when the phenomenon of scams seems to worsen, also thanks to the search for offers at very low cost.
Moreover, it is not a surprise that the choice to buy online is also linked to the possibility of obtaining savings, in addition to convenience: some research confirms that the impulse purchase model linked to special offers, for example limited stocks or with discounted prices, it has become so widespread that even serial scammers manage to enter with false sales.
Despite this, the vast majority of users rely on the Net for online purchases, even those who are not experts, exposing the most vulnerable and less familiar groups to many risks.
For this reason, the Postal and Communications Police took the field with some useful tips and practical suggestions for moving between online stores. The practical guide will be available on the State Police website, on the Postal Police portal www.commissariatodips.it and on the related facebook and twitter pages.
“The latest operation carried out by the Postal Police revealed a complex modus operandi that saw criminals advertise the sale of clothing via Instagram, the most popular platform among young and very young people.
The proposal of "fashionable" garments with modest commercial value, the use of a social environment in vogue among the youngest and the use of profiles with thousands of followers have easily attracted the young victims, inducing them to make purchases that turned out to be scams.
The carefully selected users were contacted on instagram and induced to pay by reloading prepaid cards. Subsequently, the scammers, with other social profiles, contacted the victims again persuading them to make a new payment, citing spurious justifications such as customs fees or tax problems. "
Safe guide for online shopping
1. Use complete and updated software and browsers
It may seem trivial, but the first step to buy safely is to always have a good antivirus updated to the latest version on your computer device. The latest antivirus systems (free or paid) also provide protection in the choice of Internet purchases. Furthermore, for greater online security, it is necessary to update the browser used to browse to the latest version available because every day new threats can make it vulnerable.
2. Give preference to certified or official sites
On the net it is possible to find excellent bargains but when an offer is too convenient compared to the actual market price of the product you intend to buy, then it is better to check on other sites. It could be a fake or turn out to be a scam.
It is advisable to give preference to online stores of large chains that are already known because in addition to offering security in terms of payment, they are also reliable as regards assistance and the guarantee on the purchased product and on the shipment of the same.
In the case of little-known sites, you can check for security certificates such as TRUST and VERIFIED / VeriSign Trusted that allow you to validate the website's reliability.
3. A site must have the same references as a real shop!
Before completing the purchase, check that the site is provided with references such as a VAT number, a landline telephone number, a physical address and further details to contact the company. A site with no such data probably doesn't want to be trackable and may have something to hide. Tax data are easily verifiable on the institutional website of the Revenue Agency.
4. Always read comments and feedback from other buyers
The "rumors" about a scam site are circulating fast online!
Before proceeding to purchase the chosen product, it is a good idea to read the "feedback" posted by other users on the site that sells it. Information on the reliability of the site through search engines, forums or social networks is also very useful ...
5. On a smartphone or tablet, use the official apps of online stores
If you choose to buy from large online stores, the advice is to use the official Apps of the relevant stores to complete the purchase. This simple trick allows you to avoid the risks of "passing" or "being directed" to fraudulent sites or clone sites that could capture the financial and personal data entered to complete the purchase.
6. Use mainly rechargeable credit cards
To complete a purchase transaction, a few data such as card number, card expiry date and address for the shipment of goods are essential.
If a seller asks for more information, they probably want to take personal information (account number, PIN or password) which, as such, you must jealously guard and not disclose.
At the time of completing the purchase, the presence of the closed padlock at the bottom of the page or of "https" in the address bar are further confirmations on the confidentiality of the data entered on the site and the presence of a user protection protocol, or data is encrypted and not shared.
7. Don't fall into the network of phishing and / or smishing
In other words, in the network of those scammers who, through counterfeit emails or sms, request to click on a link in order to reach a trap web page and by exploiting psychological mechanisms such as urgency or obtaining a personal advantage, they will be able to steal personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers for illegal purposes.
The Internet address to which these links refer always differs, even if slightly, from the original one.
8. A well structured ad is more reliable!
Read the announcement carefully before responding: if it seems too short or provides little information, don't hesitate to ask the seller for more. Ask the seller for more information about the item you want to buy and if the published photos seem too good to be true, search the net and find out if they have been copied from other sites!
9. Not always…. it's always a good deal.
Be wary of an object offered for sale at a negligible price, it is not always a bargain: make sure that there is not too much difference between the proposed prices and those of the market!
10. Don't trust….
He doubts those who ask to be contacted outside the ad platform with ambiguous emails and / or text messages with the excuse of saving on commissions and those who are in too much of a hurry to close the deal.