Six red flags to look out for to avoid being scammed online when Christmas shopping

Six red flags to look out for to avoid being scammed online when Christmas shopping

“Too good to be true”: Six red flags to look out for to avoid being scammed online when Christmas shopping, according to leading retail expert

With online retail sales predicted to hit over £30 billion over the Christmas period (Source: Statista), online shopping is fertile ground for scammers. How can we, the general public, protect ourselves from these increasingly clever cons?

James Khoury, CEO of leading fulfilment provider, Zendbox, has shared six red flags that shoppers should be on the lookout for when buying online this festive season.

Bad reviews

“The internet is now the best place to find information on virtually anything, making it easier than ever to do some due diligence before you ‘proceed to checkout’. Search for the name of the company or website on a search engine and you will be able to see what people are saying about them. This could be on sites like Trustpilot, or even social media groups, but if there are several reviews and complaints with a similar theme, such as non-delivery or being unable to contact the company, take this as a bad sign and avoid. The same goes when shopping on sites like Amazon. Always read the product reviews to find out if it’s actually any good or just a load of rubbish designed to make you part with your money.”

Too good to be true

“It’s a cliche for a reason. If a deal or price seems way too good to be true, then it most likely is. This is especially true for high value items like mobile phones, tablets or designer goods. Fake and counterfeit goods are worth around $600 billion to those involved in this illegal trade (Source: The Guardian), so it’s no wonder that the average shopper is confused by a very real looking item at a more reasonable price. If the price is considerably lower than in reputable stores, then there’s a very high chance it isn’t genuine. You either won’t get your item once you’ve parted with your money or will get a cheap knock off. Trust your gut and only buy from a well-known store when spending a large amount.”

Domain names and URLs

“Some scammers will set up websites that look identical to legitimate sites and even use a very similar URL. Always check the website address bar. There should always be a padlock symbol and a ‘https’ before the address, and then the genuine website address should follow. For example, ‘https://johnlewis.com’. If the web address was ‘jonlewis.com’, you may not immediately notice any difference, so be sure to double check. You can even run the URL through a site to check if it’s legitimate. Go to the Google Safe Transparency Report page and copy and paste the URL of the website. Google will tell you if it all appears to be above board. Even so, still check the reviews and remember if it’s too good to be true, it likely is.”

Payment methods

“There’s a whole host of payment methods available nowadays, from traditional debit card payments to PayPal, Klarna or Apple Pay. If the site you are buying from only allows you to pay by card or, even more suspiciously, by bank transfer then think twice. Sites like PayPal offer extra protection for buyers and virtually every safe website will give you this option. If you do still want to go ahead, then pay with a credit card not a debit card if the item is over £100. Anything over £100 but under £30,000 is subject to a Section 75 claim and so, if the worst does happen, you should be able to get your money back.”

“For added peace of mind, even if you do get redirected to PayPal, check the URL to make sure it is the real PayPal site and not a scam site designed to look exactly like PayPal.”

Follow ups

“Some scammers use follow up techniques to extract money or data from you. This could be in the form of an email or even a message on social media. If you have interacted with a real site and made a purchase, fraudsters can see the details of your order and then send an email or a message with a link. The link will likely ask you to log in to your account and then the scammers can steal your information. Always check the address that the email comes from and never click on any links. Instead, log into your account on the website or call customer services to check if the email is real.”

Delivery

“It can be hard to keep track of all the deliveries you have arriving over Christmas. A recent scam has involved text messages or emails that say the delivery charge has not been fully met and you will need to pay more. There will be a link to click on where you can then enter your details and pay the charge to have your items delivered. This is not real and you should never ever click the link or enter your details. Some even appear to be from Royal Mail. Just delete them. You can use apps like Shop that track all of your parcels so you know exactly where they are. You could even just create a simple spreadsheet to see what is due and when. If you’re unsure, always contact the store where you made the purchase.”

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Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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