Shoppers Area
We have compiled the following resource of useful links and information
as a reference. Whether you are new to shopping online, have encountered
a problem that you would like advice on, or an experienced e-shopper,
this page is designed to provide you with an overview of the indivdual
areas of e-Retail; with links to relevant organisations. ISIS / Trusted
Shops are not responsible for the information provided on external
links.
What is
e-Retail?
e-Retail is the term which is
used to cover buying items from a retailers website. Some of these
retailers may well be high street names that you have heard of before,
others are retailers who only sell online and do not have a
shop.
Payments
Using your card
safely online
To raise awareness of the
steps customers should take to help stay safe whilst shopping online,
APACS, the UK payments association, has launched a campaign – Be Card
Smart Online
To help stay safe online,
consumers are urged to follow the simple advice
below:
1. Keep your PC protected by ensuring you have
the latest operating system, browser and up-to-date anti-virus
software.
2. Look for the padlock symbol - especially if you’re
buying from a website for the first time. It’s a good indication that
they are reputable.
3. Register your cards with Verified by
Visa or MasterCard SecureCode when prompted. It is quick and easy and
makes shopping online even safer.
4. Always log out after
shopping online and save the confirmation e-mail as a record of your
order.
Verified
By Visa and Mastercard Securecode
Verified By
Visa (VbV) and Mastercard Securecode (MSCS) are initiatives set up by
the card schemes to improve security for online transactions. Think of
them as online Chip-N-PIN. Card holders are invited to register their
details and a password either during the payment process on a retailer's
website, or through their card issuer. Once registered, you will be
asked to enter your password when confirming your order with an online
retailer. It should be noted that not all card issuers and retailers are
offering this service at the moment but it is becoming more widely
available. Check your card statements for additional information about
this service or contact your card issuer for more
details.
Alternatively, Mastercard and Visa provide
some very useful information which can be accessed by clicking the links
below.
As with
all security related passwords; do not share them with
anyone.
Other
Payments Advice
Payment should, ideally, be made
by credit card as you are afforded more protection if something goes
wrong with your purchase. The majority of smaller e-retailers will use a
payment service provider (PSP) to process the transaction. These are
companies which process the payments and are responsible for keeping
your payment information secure. These organisations have to abide by
stringent rules set down by both legislation and the card companies
themselves. Although the payments page on the website will look just
like the other pages, the payments information is actually processed by
the PSP.
There are several PSP's, but some to look
out for are:
Larger retailers,
such as the high street names, may well process the payments
themselves. In this situation, you can be assured that they have to
abide by the same rules as the PSP's.
Alternatively,
there are a range of voucher schemes available which enable you to
purchase a voucher from a local store and pay online using the voucher
code. Examples include Ukash.
Before you make a
payment, we would still advise you to make sure that you know exactly
what you are paying for, that you are comfortable with the identity of
the retailer and, if you are not sure, look for a third party
accreditation (such as ISIS) and the logo of the PSP that the retailer
uses.
Security
Advice
We have provided a reference below which
shows the Top 10 Hints for safe shopping online. In addition, it is
recommended that, before you go online, you have installed a firewall
(allows you to surf but prevents others from accessing your computer
through your internet connection) and anti-virus software (finds and
deletes malicious software which comes in attached to emails and other
sources). Ensure that you use a quality product and be wary of
downloading free software from the internet. There are some excellent
products available for free but check that they come from a reputable
source.
In addition, it is worth downloading an
anti-spyware cleaning product, such as Ad-Aware. This is provided free
of charge for personal home use and is widely recognised with in the
industry. The supplier can be found at LavaSoft
Other
products are available and we would suggest using two different ones to
make sure that you are properly protected.
For more
information on protecting yourself online, we would recommend visitng
the government backed program,
Get Safe
Online
Phish no
Phish
With the growth of e-commerce, phishing and
other online scams are constantly on the rise. Phishers keep
experimenting, looking for better ways to defraud Internet users and
reap the benefits from their crimes. Make sure you’re safe; test your
skills today to see if you can recognise a phishing site from a safe
site by visiting
https://www.phish-no-phish.com.
This site is run by site security speacialists, Verisign. Look for
their logo on retailers websites.
Home
Delivery
Many shoppers remain concerned about the
quality of the delivery service they will receive when they have placed
their order. There are some simple things you can do to make sure you
receive your order when and where you want it. The
IMRG
Plain Language Guide to Home Delivery takes you through these
steps but the easiest thing to do is to look out for the IDIS (Internet
Delivery is Safe) Gold logo which is your assurance that the retailer
provides you with the service options to get your goods to you first
time.
Useful
links for consumer information
Please click on
the links below, a new browser will open: