Internet shopping alert

SHOPPERS in Halton should be on their guard not to be conned by internet fraudsters this Christmas, Cheshire police have warned.

A force spokeswoman said the festive run-in is peak season for bogus ‘phishing’ emails, social media posts with offers that are too good to be true, fraudulent shopping websites and fake goods.

Bargain hunters are advised to stay safe online by making sure shopping websites are authentic and the payment page is secure.

They can do this by checking that all addresses starts with ‘https’ – the ‘s’ stands for secure.

There should also be a padlock in the address bar, and attention should be paid to making sure the web address is typed in correctly.

Shoppers should avoid paying for anything by transferring cash directly to sellers or companies they do not know, however desperate to buy.

The Cheshire police spokeswoman said a credit card is the safest way to pay for anything.

Internet users should always log out after their payment is completed, because simply closing the page might not end the session.

Detective Sergeant David MacFarlane, Cheshire police cyber strategy lead, said: “If something seems too much of a bargain this Black Friday, or on Cyber Monday where deals only apply online, then it probably is.

“Follow your instincts and don’t make any rush purchases.

“Fraudsters see these events as an opportunity to take advantage of people and don’t care about the consequences their actions may cause for the victim.

“Creating strong passwords for yourself and always updating anti-virus software are the two easiest ways to keep you safe, but also using secure wi-fi networks when making payments and buying from official sites will also help keep people safe from fraudsters.”