(7 December 2009 – Australia) The Australian Bankers’ Association (ABA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have joint forces to warn festive shoppers of online safety.The duo have warned that a higher Australian dollar will this year prompt more online Christmas shopping with merchants located overseas and are urging consumers to protect themselves when making online purchases.
The warning comes as British authorities announce the shut down of more than 1,200 scam websites where UK online shoppers were being lured into making ‘bargain’ purchases with the comfort of a .co.uk websites selling cheap designer apparel.
The online shoppers then received either cheap counterfeit products or nothing at all for their money.
Intelligence showed that the vast majority of the sites were registered in China and other countries in Asia, mostly using false or misleading details.
That meant it was almost impossible for victims to complain about poor quality counterfeit items or goods never arriving. It also made it difficult for trading standards and other law enforcement agencies to take action.
David Bell, Chief Executive of the ABA, said that with the Australian dollar looking strong, goods bought offshore are looking cheaper than before.
Before purchasing, it’s important that consumers do some research on the merchant, so that they can be confident that they are transacting with a business they can trust and a business that will protect their personal information, including their credit or debit card details, Mr Bell added.
Mr Bell also highlighted that consumers should make sure that the website offers secure transactions by using encryption technology to transfer information from the customer’s computer to the online merchant’s computer.