FRAUDSTERS could rob residents of their Christmas cheer if they do not take care online.
Warwickshire Police has issued safety advice to online festive shoppers ahead of Cyber Monday (November 30) – the most common time for victims to make contact with a fraudster.
DCI Sean Paley, from Warwickshire Police specialist operations unit, urged online shoppers to ensure they update software and anti-virus systems, and to apply the same logic when using the internet as they would do in the real world.
He said: “We do not want to put people off using the internet to buy their gifts – if used safely it is an excellent resource – but we do want them to take some simple but effective steps to help protect themselves against falling victim to online crime.
“A good tip is to remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Over Christmas and the New Sales last year there were over 100 reports of online shopping fraud in Warwickshire, costing victims nearly £79,000.
Visit www.getsafeonline.org and www.actionfraud.police.uk for more advice.
