Our Trading Standards team have advice on avoiding scams this Christmas shopping season.
Social media shopping scams
Fake social media accounts can mimic big brands. Goods bought through their profile will never appear.
Posts from these accounts and fake ads can also have blind links where you don’t know where you are being taken to. It’s often a fake website.
Over £11.8 million is estimated to have been lost to online criminals between November 2024 and January 2025, according to the national cyber security centre.
The advice: Always search for the website directly on a browser and be sure it is legit before buying anything.
On websites, check the contact information of the seller. All websites need to list a contact address by law. Check that this address is legitimate.
Delivery charges should be made clear and be easy to find and understand. If they aren’t, back away.
Cheap prices
Prices that are too good to be true often are. Prices may have been artificially increased in order to look like a bargain when ‘savings’ are applied.
Goods that are cheaper than those in reputable shops may be counterfeit. This means they haven’t been through safety checks.
The advice: Don’t panic. Take time to research the product’s price history and decide if the current price is a good saving. You can go to CamelCamelCamel for Amazon products and PriceRunner for other sites.
Some reputable high street traders price match.
Always look at the price, not the saving.
Further advice
You can get top tips from advice website Which.
You can also check out GetSafeOnline for tips on safely using the internet. Anyone who lives, works, studies or volunteers in Renfrewshire can also become part of our RenSafe Online Ambassador network.