SHOPPING ONLINE... A FEW POINTERS

Know the retailer. Note its name – and address. Well-known outfits such as Argos, Eason and Arnotts, for example, are more likely to honour their commitments.

Shop locally with an Irish-based trader if possible. Watch out for exorbitant rates of interest on credit deals. Some well-known retailers charge so much interest they have to register as moneylenders. Oxendales, Simply Be, Jacamo and The Brilliant Gift Shop are licensed on the Central Bank moneylender register to charge up to 51.5%. Littlewoods can charge up to 43.7%.

Search online for any complaints. The Better Business Bureau – www.bbb.org – is handy for rating US companies.

Watch out for fake recommendations that savvy scammers often use to flood the internet with glowing praise for themselves, even setting up fake news websites.

While browsing, don’t unwittingly subscribe for an apparently free or cheap deal that deducts money from your account over the long-term instead. A recent report by the EU consumer body ECC-Net found that over the last three years 3.5million consumers in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria accepted offers online, via a website, or on social media that led to what they dub a ‘subscription trap’ that may not be illegal and may be hard to get out of.

Improve shopping security by dealing through Paypal and/or registering for improved security with your credit card company.

Make sure you have up to date anti-virus security software. The best freebies in a recent survey were Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Checkpoint and Sophos home.

When giving credit card details online, your home wifi is safer than using an internet café or public-access wifi, which can easily be hacked. Make sure the browser address changes from http to https to indicate you have a secure connection.