Online shopping and mail order

You should use a secure payment system to buy goods online.

You can do this by either:

• making sure the website is secure
• using other forms of secure payment such as PayPal.

This will shield your banking details from the online seller.

Don’t give your bank account details to anyone. They can be used to make unauthorised withdrawals.

Secure websites

Secure websites will have:

• a web address that starts with https://, not http://
• an image of a locked padlock on the bottom right corner.

If you don't receive your goods

Usually the secure payment system provider will offer a dispute resolution service with a refund option if your goods don’t arrive.

If you have paid by credit card and do not receive your purchase, ask your financial institution for a chargeback.

Never send money by wire transfer. Scammers use wire transfer services to get money fast. Once it’s been collected you can’t get it back.