Criminals prey on Christmas shoppers

Criminals are gearing up to steal from internet shoppers logging on for a spot of online Christmas shopping. Scams involve setting up websites to sell counterfeit goods and steal credit card details. Just yesterday UK police announced that they had launched a wide-ranging operation to take down such sites and have shut the virtual doors on over 1,200 of them.
The UK-based sites offered designer goods at bargain prices, although buyers would receive either counterfeit items or (more likely) nothing at all once they had submitted their credit card details. The criminals in question appear to have worked from Asia, having registered the sites names in the UK. Nominet, the organisation responsible for managing .uk domain names worked with the Metropolitan Police's Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) to help take down the sites and keep them offline.

Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie, head of the PCeU, said that, "fraudsters target the victim's desire to buy designer goods at reduced prices, particularly at this time of year. The risk begins when your desire to purchase blinds your judgment or leads you to illegal websites. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."

Security firm AVG claims that criminals will mop up around £185m due to fraudulent sales and other scams over the Christmas period. Chief Research Office Roger Thompson sent out a press release just two days before the police's announcement noting that, "shoppers often fail to check the authenticity of retailers and end up handing money over to a website which simply vanishes weeks later."

Although online crime often makes the headlines at this time of year, it's worth staying alert throughout the year as the bad guys continually look for ways to steal from online victims. When shopping it makes sense to follow the advice provided by Consumer Direct. Summarised, this involves:


Know who you are dealing with - Check manufacturers' websites to ensure you are buying from an approved and reputable retailer.

Be careful how you pay - If the purchase is over £100 consider using a credit card to protect your purchase, buy goods online through secure and encrypted payment systems, don't be drawn off the site to other forms of payment and consider separate credit cards or accounts for online shopping.

Protect your personal details - Don't give away personal details unnecessarily, don't ever reveal passwords or PIN numbers.

Protect your computer - Ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus software on your computer, use a firewall and update your computer's software regularly.

Beware of unsolicited or spam email offers.


If you believe you have fallen foul of a scam the police offers the following advice:

"If you have bought from one of these sites, and the goods you ordered fail to arrive but your credit or debit card has been charged, you should contact your card company to see if you can get your money back.

"Although there is no evidence that the criminals behind these sites have yet used card details for fraud you should, as always, check your statement. If you suffer losses as a result of this or any other card fraud and you are the innocent victim, you will get your money back."