Crime Prevention

This month Detective Inspector Mel Smyth was in studio to talk about online fraud.

With shops closed and Christmas approaching, more and more business will be conducted online. Consumers will be making purchases from individuals advertising on trading websites, from local businesses and from well-known and un-known websites based in Ireland and abroad.Businesses will be engaging with individual consumers and other businesses who often are completely unknown to them.

While the vast majority of transactions will be processed without issues, there is always the potential for fraud. Here are some things to consider for both consumers and businesses alike when shopping online: 

Consumers

• One of the principal rules is to only engage with known and trusted businesses and websites and to avoid doing business with people who are unknown and whose identity cannot be verified.
• Think twice before sending money for a product in advance to an unknown person or entity.
• Make the purchase using recognized payment systems or your credit card rather than direct transfers from your bank account or payment card.
• Don’t record your card or account details on a website if you are not going to buy anything.
• Never give away unnecessary personal data, such as your date of birth, social insurance number, password or pin numbers.
• Read the terms and conditions and save all messages and documentation related to the purchase.
• The higher the value of the product the more care you should take before making a purchase.   

Businesses

• Know your product: Is it a high value product? Is it easy to re-sell? Is there any history of the product being attractive to fraudsters? Identify risks associated with the product and talk to the customer about the product to test their knowledge of it
• Know your customer: identify their name, address and eircode. If the customer is another business, look it up. Is there an address on their website? Is the address genuine? Is their email or phone number genuine? Is their account held in a different country? How do they wish to pay? What address are they using for delivery?
• Implement safe means of payment and keep a record of transactions and have an efficient resolution process to deal with charge backs
• Use a professional and reliable delivery systems and if in doubt don’t deliver.
• Keep your data secure: have up to date IT systems including anti-virus software. Ensure all data is securely backed up regularly and that it is readily accessible if necessary.