Fraudsters Stole £15.3M from Shoppers last year

Top tips to shop online securely this festive season:

Action Fraud and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) are urging online shoppers to

• protect their accounts,
• check before they buy, and
• use secure payment methods

in order to stay ahead of the threat from criminals this shopping season:

Protect your accounts:set up 2-step verification and use three random words passwords to prevent cyber criminals from gaining access to your shopping, bank or email accounts.

Choose carefully where you shop:Research online retailers, particularly if you haven’t bought from them before, to check they’re legitimate. Read feedback from people or organisations that you trust, such as consumer websites.


Pay securely:Use a credit card when shopping online, if you have one. Most major credit card providers protect online purchases and are obliged to refund you in certain circumstances. Using a credit card (rather than a debit card) also means that if your payment details are stolen, your main bank account won’t be directly affected. Also consider using a payment platform, such as PayPal, Google or Apple Pay. And whenever you pay, look for the closed padlock in the web address bar – it means your connection is secure.

For more advice on how to shop online securely this festive season, visit: www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/shopping-online-securely