Stop Scams Fast: UK Online Shopping Safety with Section 75

Verify the seller, pay with a protected method such as a credit card, and turn on two-step verification wherever it is offered. These three habits, paired with the consumer protections set out by Section 75 and guidance from the NCSC, cover most of the risk in online shopping today.

TL;DR:

• Always verify the seller by checking reviews, domain details, and reverse image searches for suspicious product photos before making a purchase.
• Payment by credit card or recognized digital wallets offers the strongest protections, especially within the £100 to £30,000 range covered by Section 75.
• Watch for fake sites through recent registration, fake reviews, counterfeit electricals, and overly low prices, and report unsafe products to authorities.
• Keep devices updated, use strong passwords with two-step verification, and avoid entering payment information over public Wi-Fi to reduce hacking risks.
• Use curated deal platforms to browse trusted offers and reduce exposure to scams during busy sale seasons.

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Practical checklist: quick, high-impact safety measures to use every time

Most online shopping fraud follows a familiar pattern: a convincing-looking site, pressure to act fast, and a payment method that offers no recourse once the money has gone. A short checklist at the point of purchase closes off nearly all of that risk.

Start with the seller. Search the business name alongside words like “reviews” or “scam”, check the domain for odd spellings or extra characters, and if a product photo looks too polished, run it through a reverse image search to see whether it appears on other, unrelated listings.

• Check the domain carefully: a single swapped letter or extra word is a common trick used on copycat sites.
• Pay by credit card or a recognised digital wallet rather than bank transfer, which offers almost no protection if something goes wrong.
• Use guest checkout where available and avoid saving card details on unfamiliar sites.
• Read the platform’s review policy: sites that publish clear anti-fake-review rules are generally safer bets.

The NCSC’s shopping guidance makes an important point that shoppers often miss: the padlock symbol and “https” at the start of a web address only confirm that the connection is encrypted. They say nothing about whether the seller behind that connection is genuine, since fraudsters can and do secure padlocks for lookalike domains. Treat HTTPS as a minimum requirement, not proof of trust.

Watch for the classic warning signs too: clumsy spelling and grammar, prices that sit far below every competitor, and countdown timers pushing you to buy within minutes. Genuine retailers rarely need to rush you.

Pro Tip: Open a new browser tab and search the retailer’s name plus “contact address” before you buy. A business with no traceable physical address or customer service line is a poor sign.

Payments, refunds and your rights

How you pay matters as much as where you shop. For credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes your card provider jointly responsible with the retailer if goods do not arrive or are misrepresented. That is one of the strongest protections available to consumers and it applies automatically, with no extra sign-up needed.

Debit cards and other card payments outside that range are not covered by Section 75, but most providers offer chargeback, a process for disputing a payment through your card scheme. It carries no statutory guarantee, though banks generally attempt it in good faith.

Bank transfers sit in a different category entirely. If you are tricked into transferring money directly (an APP, or authorised push payment, scam), contact your bank immediately: some banks now offer reimbursement reviews for these cases, though outcomes vary.

• Keep order confirmations, seller messages and payment receipts together from the start.
• Note dates, amounts and any reference numbers before you contact your bank.

One documented fact worth remembering: Section 75 only applies to qualifying credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000, so a card provider’s liability depends on staying within that range.

Spotting scam shops, fake listings and counterfeit goods

Fake shopfronts and counterfeit goods share telltale signs once you know where to look.

1. Check the domain’s age and details. A site registered a few weeks ago selling major brands at deep discounts deserves suspicion.
2. Reverse image search product photos. Identical images appearing on several unrelated seller pages is a strong signal of a copied or fake listing.
3. Read a spread of reviews, not just the top ones. Since 6 April 2025, marketplaces have been legally required under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to take reasonable steps to prevent and remove fake reviews, and platforms that publish a clear review-moderation policy are worth favouring.
4. Treat counterfeit electricals as a safety issue, not just a quality one. Which? testing has found dangerous faults, including fake fuses and non-compliant plugs, in counterfeit electrical goods sold on marketplaces.
5. Report anything unsafe. Trading Standards, Which? and the platform itself all accept reports of dangerous or counterfeit products.

Second-hand bargains that seem unusually cheap for branded electronics or children’s items are worth extra scrutiny before you buy.

Device and account hygiene for safe shopping

Good shopping habits count for little if the device or account behind them is compromised.

• Keep your phone, laptop and shopping apps updated, and run reputable antivirus software rather than installing unfamiliar browser extensions that promise discounts.
• Use a unique password for every shopping account, ideally through a password manager, and enable two-step verification (2SV or MFA) on your email, banking and payment accounts.
• Avoid entering payment details over public Wi-Fi. Fraudsters sometimes set up fake hotspots with legitimate-sounding names, so use mobile data or a trusted VPN if you must shop while out.

Pro Tip: Two-step verification on your email account is often more valuable than on the shopping site itself, since email is usually the first thing an attacker tries to hijack.

If something goes wrong: immediate steps and who to contact

Speed matters once you suspect fraud, and so does keeping calm enough to gather evidence.

1. Contact your bank straight away. Ask about a Section 75 claim, a chargeback, or an APP reimbursement review depending on how you paid.
2. Report the incident. Use Action Fraud or the NCSC’s reporting channels, and tell the marketplace or platform where the purchase happened.
3. Forward suspicious delivery texts to 7726. This free reporting number lets mobile operators flag spoofed courier messages that trick recipients into paying fake fees.
4. Keep every screenshot, order number and message. Evidence gathered early makes any claim faster to process.

Delivery scams remain a common route in, partly because delivery problems are already widespread: Ofcom found that 68% of people had experienced a delivery issue in the past six months, which gives fake “missed parcel” texts a ready-made cover story.

Keeping calm and checking during busy sales

Big sale events are built for speed, and speed is exactly what scammers rely on. Countdown clocks and “only 2 left” banners are designed to short-circuit the pause that normally catches a fake listing.

The habit worth keeping through any sale season is simple: verify the seller, pay safely, and make sure two-step verification is switched on before you start browsing. Everything else follows from those three checks.

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Zone Offer as a safer way to browse deals

Checking every seller from scratch takes time, which is where a curated deals platform earns its place. The platform aggregates and filters offers from various partner retailers across categories including electronics, fashion, home goods and health and beauty, so you can browse a shortlist of recognised names rather than an open search full of unknowns.

• Filters let you narrow results by category and price without wading through unrelated listings.
• Curated offers link straight through to the partner retailer’s own checkout, where your usual card protections still apply.

The safety checklist above still applies wherever you buy, but starting from a curated list of best UK discounts removes a good deal of the guesswork before you even reach checkout.

Where to check the rules and report a scam

• Stop! Think Fraud: NCSC-backed guidance on spotting shopping scams and reporting fraud.
• Gov: explains new rules on fake reviews and hidden fees.
• MoneyHelper on card protections: Section 75 and chargeback explained simply.
• Citizens Advice scam checker: a quick way to test whether an offer looks legitimate.

Sources

• MoneyHelper — How you’re protected when you pay by card
• Gov
• Stop! Think Fraud — Protect yourself this festive shopping season
• Which? — Shoppers’ safety at risk from high-end fakes

FAQ

What are 10 important tips for safe online shopping?

Verify the seller and domain, use a credit card or recognised digital wallet, avoid bank transfers to unfamiliar payees, enable two-step verification, keep devices updated, use a password manager, avoid public Wi-Fi for payments, check reviews for authenticity, reverse image search suspicious photos, and keep order records. Together these cover the main risk points from browsing to delivery.

How safe is shopping online?

Online shopping is generally safe when you use protected payment methods and check the seller carefully, since strong legal protections such as Section 75 exist for qualifying credit card purchases. Risk rises sharply with unfamiliar sites, bank transfers and unverified sellers, so the biggest safety gains come from choosing payment method and seller carefully rather than avoiding online shopping altogether.

What are the possible risks of shopping online?

The main risks are fake or scam websites, counterfeit goods including dangerous electricals, fake reviews, delivery-related phishing texts, and payment fraud through unprotected methods like bank transfer. Which? testing has found genuine safety faults in counterfeit electrical goods, which makes authenticity checks especially important for electronics and children’s products.

Which is the safest online shopping site?

There is no single safest site: safety depends on the individual seller, the payment method you use and whether the platform follows current rules on reviews and pricing. Favour retailers with a clear return policy, a traceable address, published anti-fake-review practices in line with the DMCC Act, and payment options that carry consumer protection such as credit cards.