The Cybernetic Security Operations Centers of the State Police take the field to protect Christmas gift purchases. Based on the experience acquired in protecting against the risk of fraud, the Postal Police has renewed its guide with practical advice and useful suggestions for buying online with greater peace of mind.
The race for the last Christmas gift purchases has now begun!
What better opportunity to provide useful advice and prevent intense shopping, aimed at buying gifts for people dear to us, making us run into potential scams, also thanks to the search for very low-cost offers and the very short times for purchases .
From the experience acquired in protecting against the risks of online scams, the Postal Police makes available a series of information to ensure online security, the protection of personal data, protection from fraud and risk in purchases: hot topics and particularly felt by who uses the Internet.
In the first eleven months of this year, the Postal Police dealt with more than 14.000 cases of online scams of which over 60% consisted, as a typology, of e-commerce scams, for the purchase of real estate goods and services related to ghost vacation rental. In these criminal areas alone, almost 9 million euros were stolen, for which more than 2.500 people were reported.
The number of reports and complaints received, added to those of people arrested and reported, has drawn the attention of the Postal Police which has strengthened every useful tool to direct users to an appropriate use of the Internet and online payment instruments and counteract , at the same time, the scams implemented on the Internet, including through the closure of virtual spaces.
This is particularly useful advice especially in view of Christmas and the New Year, when the phenomenon of scams seems to be getting worse, also thanks to the race for gifts and very low-cost holiday packages.
"After all, it is no surprise that the choice to buy online is also linked to the possibility of obtaining savings, as well as 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 insert themselves with false sales.
Despite this, the vast majority of online shoppers rely on the Internet for purchases, even those who are not experts in buying in total peace of mind.
For this reason, the Cybernetic Security Operations Center of the Postal Police took the field with a brochure that offers some useful advice and practical suggestions for moving between online stores. The vademecum will be available on the State Police website, on the PS Commissariat online portal and on the related Facebook and Twitter pages.
The classic scam is well represented by one of the last cases investigated by the Postal Police. The first victim of the Christmas holidays. “The advertisement is on a site among the most used by users and the advertiser seems serious and reliable. The property for sale has an attractive cost: only 100 euros including shipping costs. However, the seller "moves" the negotiation to a private location, makes use of three email addresses on which to continue and conclude the agreement and through which he communicates the bank details on which to make the payment. And here comes the "trap". Escaping the verifications of the platform on which the sale is reported, the advertiser has the payment made by recharging a prepaid card. The excellent opportunity linked to the extremely convenient price, however, hid the scam: "In addition to the disappointment for the vanished purchase, the bitter surprise of seeing the savings destined for gifts evaporate".
Safe guide for online purchases
1. Use complete and up-to-date 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 opportunities 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 the reviews published by other users through a common search engine. It could in fact be a fake site 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 the presence of security certificates such as TRUST and VERIFIED / VeriSign Trusted which allow you to validate the reliability of the website.
3. A site must have the same references as a real shop!
Before completing the purchase, check that there are references on the site such as a VAT number, a landline telephone number, a physical address and further data for contacting the company. A site without such data probably doesn't want to be traceable and may have something to hide. The fiscal data are easily verifiable on the institutional website of the Revenue Agency.
4. Always read comments and feedback from other buyers.
Before purchasing the chosen product, it is a good idea to read the "feedback" published by other online users. Information on the reliability of the site through search engines, forums or social networks is also very useful…
The "rumors" about a scam site are circulating fast online!
5. On smartphones or tablets, 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 mostly 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 concluding the purchase, the presence of the closed padlock at the bottom of the page or "https" in the address bar are further confirmations of the confidentiality in the transmission of data entered on the site and of the presence of a user protection protocol. i.e. the data is encrypted and not shared.
7. Don't fall for 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….
Doubt those who ask to be contacted outside the advertising platform with ambiguous emails but also those who are in too much of a hurry to close the deal.