Around 80 per cent of Australian households have purchased items online, spending more than $63 billion last year. But research also reveals that more than $100 million is lost each year due to online shopping and banking scams.
The perpetrators of these scams are becoming increasingly cunning; nearly 40 per cent of online shoppers have reported being victims of some form of online fraud and more than half of older Australians who choose to shop online are concerned about the security of their personal bank details.
To help older Australians shop safely online, the eSafety Commissioner has developed a number of online webinars and information sheets that highlight the important checks shoppers should make before deciding to purchase items from a website.
• The first thing the eSafety Commissioner advises is that shoppers should preference Australian companies when purchasing higher cost items. Choosing an Australian website makes it easier to seek refunds, arrange returns and resolve disputes.
• Shoppers should also check the web address and ensure it shows a padlock symbol or contains a web address that starts with ‘https’ as the ‘s’ identifies it as a secure site.
• Take some time to check the seller’s contact details and physical address as well as customer reviews and star-ratings to ensure the seller is a legitimate business.
Only after shoppers are satisfied that the site is legitimate should they proceed.
• When it comes to payments the advice is clear – never ever pay by bank transfer or money order – and while credit card payments are recommended as the alternative, using a payment intermediary such as PayPal is by far the safest option.
Registering to use PayPal is free and means that, rather than giving your credit card details to numerous online shopping websites when purchasing items, only PayPal has the customer’s bank details as they pay the seller on your behalf. This also creates an invaluable layer of security when issues arise such as items not being as advertised or if a purchased item is not received. PayPal will act on the shopper’s behalf to resolve disputes and even refund money.
• The online shopping realm is also full of scams that extend to text messages being sent to mobile phones. Currently the most common scam involves texts about a missed parcel delivery that asks you to click on a link to arrange redelivery or to verify your address and contact details.
With so many people shopping online there’s a high chance that there is a genuine parcel on its way but the word from the experts is to never ever click the link or even reply to the text. These links often contain viruses and enable hackers to gain further information on the unsuspecting replier.
• Instead, shoppers should go back to the original shopping confirmation email that comes with every online purchase and either contact the seller via email or phone or look up the package’s tracking number and check its current location.
Other ways to shop safer online include visiting scamwatch.gov.au or by taking time to view one of the eSafety Commissioner’s many mini workshops dedicated to those over age 50.
Visit www.beconnected.esafety.gov.au to view their full range of topics.
