One in Five Online Shoppers Scammed Last Year

Recent research has revealed that one in five regular online shoppers has fallen victim to scams in the past year. The analysis, conducted by the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) FraudSMART campaign, found that over 10% of those affected lost more than €500.

Niamh Davenport, head of financial crime at BPFI, stated that eight out of ten consumers plan to shop online in the lead-up to Christmas, with only 3% saying they never shop online. She warned that this peak online shopping period poses increased risks, with fraudsters ready to exploit Cyber Monday and the Christmas rush.

Scammers often use malicious links hidden in emails, social media posts, and online ads, leading unsuspecting shoppers to counterfeit websites. These fake sites impersonate well-known stores or brands, offering “discounted deals” to lure people in, only to disappear after a payment is made, leaving shoppers without their purchases and out of pocket.

The study also found that one in five shoppers admitted to not taking basic online security precautions, such as looking for the padlock symbol at the start of a website address indicating a secure connection or ensuring the address begins with https. Using public Wi-Fi for payments is also considered risky.

Ms. Davenport noted that almost 50% of online shoppers confess to clicking on links from social media or pop-up ads instead of independently visiting and verifying the company’s website. With more than one in ten shoppers reporting losses over €500 due to online scams, she urged people to be extra cautious as the Christmas shopping season intensifies, especially with Cyber Monday deals filling inboxes and social media feeds.

In response to these findings, FraudSMART has launched a new online tool to help shoppers verify the legitimacy of websites and links. Visitors to Scamchecker.ie can cross-reference a link with a real-time database of known scam sites and malware hosts.

Ms. Davenport called on all consumers to think carefully before sharing their money or information online and to familiarize themselves with straightforward steps to protect themselves.