Twelve guidelines you should follow to stay safe online shopping

There are many advantages to shopping online, you can shop at any time, you don't need to worry about parking and your purchases are delivered to your door. Online shopping can be a lot of fun, rewarding experience and can also help you find good deals.

But there are some security traps to watch out for. Follow these basic guidelines and you can shop online with confidence and safe.

1. When you visit a bank or retailer's website enter the address manually, remember never follow an email link. 
2. Keep account details and passwords secret, if you surrender them yourself you may not be covered in the event of fraud. 
3. Stick to trusted companies, don't judge a company or person on their website alone – look for a telephone number and address.
4. Be wary if the website looks suspicious or unprofessional or makes unrealistic promises, bargains which look too good to be true often are.
5. Know what you are buying and read the description of the product carefully, check the size, colour, value and safety of the product.
6. Check the currency, postage and handling and other charges, there may be extra charges you aren't aware of. Only pay via a secure web page-one that has a valid digital certificate.
7. Read all the fine print. This includes refund and complaints handling policies.
8. Use a secure and trusted payment method such as PayPal, BPay, or your credit card. Avoid money transfers and direct debit, as these can be open to abuse.
9. Never send your bank or credit card details via email.
10. Always print and keep a copy of the transaction, also includes refund and complaints handling policies. Keep all the records of any emails to and from the seller. 
11. Never do a private contact or payment directly with buyers or scammers will often use this ploy to offer a better deal.
12. Always conduct transactions within the auction website