GEDLING shoppers buying electrical goods and domestic appliances online on Black Friday are being warned to avoid bogus websites.
The National Fraud Bureau (NFIB) said it had received reports of scammers setting up bogus websites advertising electrical goods and domestic appliances at below market value that do not exist.
The fraudsters will request your card details via the website but after attempting to make a payment the purchaser will then receive an email stating the payment failed and they must pay via bank transfer.
A spokesperson for NFIB said: “The fraudsters entice the purchaser and reassure them it is a legitimate purchase by using the widely recognised Trusted Shop Trustmark.
“The fraudsters are using the Trustmark fraudulently and have not been certified by Trusted Shops and therefore the purchaser is not covered by the Trusted Shop money-back guarantee.”
What can shoppers do to protect themselves?
*Check the authenticity of the websites before making any purchases. Conduct a ‘whois’ search on the website which will identify when the website has been created, be wary of newly formed domains. You can conduct this search using the following website – https://who.is/.
*Carry out online research in relation to the website, company name and the business address provided to identify any poor feedback or possible irregularities.
*Check the Trusted Shops Facebook page where warnings about websites using their Trustmark are published. If you are in doubt about the legitimacy of a Trustmark then you can contact Trusted Shops on 0203 364 5906 or by email service@trustedshops.co.uk. They will confirm whether they have certified that website.
*Payments made via bank transfer are not protected should you not received the item. Therefore always try to make the payment via PayPal or a credit card where you have some payment cover should you not receive your product.
*If the item advertised seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.
