| There are not Christmas queues and the | | | | and is well established, this is a good |
| weather is dry fine and warm, making | | | | indicator of a reputable store. |
| your Christmas shopping a more enjoyable | | | | When shopping online you inevitably end |
| experience. | | | | up at the 'check out'. This is the point |
| ? Leave it until Christmas Eve! The | | | | where the store will ask you for your |
| shops are desperate by this time and | | | | name, postal address and credit or debit |
| slash they prices incredibly. It is a | | | | card details. This is the time when |
| bit of mad dash but all the Christmas | | | | credit card fraud is a danger. |
| stress is confined to a single 24 hours. | | | | To protect yourself look for a padlock |
| ? Buy online. Quick and convenient, no | | | | icon in the status bar at the bottom of |
| queuing, no trying to find car parking, | | | | the window on the actual 'check out' |
| no terrible weather. Plus many retailers | | | | page, where the website is asking you to |
| offer discounts for online orders, which | | | | submit your details. This padlock mean |
| means you save money too! | | | | that this page of the website has a |
| Many people are worried about security | | | | secure connection, so any information |
| and credit card fraud when buying | | | | that you submit on this page will not be |
| online. Of course this is a worry, | | | | decipherable to anyone else, it will be |
| nobody wants to be the victim of credit | | | | encrypted. If there is not a padlock, it |
| card fraud. However, there are some | | | | is not a secure connection despite what |
| steps you can take to keep your online | | | | the actual web page content may say. |
| shopping experience as safer transaction | | | | You can still submit your details, |
| as possible. | | | | However, you do significantly increase |
| When buying online, only use reputable | | | | the risk of becoming a victim of credit |
| retailers. This maybe a high street | | | | card fraud. |
| retailer who have an online shopping | | | | Our advice would be to contact the |
| facilities or a large online store. | | | | website and ask them to provide you with |
| Maybe a friend has recommended a | | | | a secure payment page, or shop |
| particular website that they have | | | | elsewhere. |
| purchased goods from in the past. Some | | | | However you do your Christmas shopping |
| online shops state how long they have | | | | this year, Enjoy your experience and |
| been trading. If a store has been | | | | keep your card details safe. |
| trading online for a number of years, | | | | |