Shopping and selling online

Online shopping

When shopping online, you should:

• make sure that you're on a legitimate website. ( for example, look out for any misspellings in the address bar.)
• look for 'https' and the padlock symbol in your browser window, before making a payment
• use a secure Wi-Fi connection
• sign out of any websites you've registered your details with
• use a credit card if you have one, as most major credit card providers insure online purchases

You can get advice about shopping online on the National Cyber Security Centre website.

You can find more advice about safe online shopping on the Get Safe Online website.

Travel and holidays

You should research the holiday or travel company online before booking.

Check they're members of a recognised travel authority, such as the:

• Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)
• Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL)
• Association of Independent Tour Operators (AiTO)

You can find more advice on booking travel and holidays on the Get Safe Online website.

Selling online

If you're using an auction website (such as eBay) to sell or buy things, you should:

• use an account name that's different from your email address
• read the auction company's online guides
• check the seller or buyer's profile, ratings and transaction history
• keep your contact information up-to-date

You can find information about selling online, on the Police Scotland website.

You can find more advice on the Get Safe Online website about:

• using auction websites
• selling on ebay