Many e-shoppers unaware of online shopping risks

The risks associated with shopping online are not fully understood by many people who make web-based purchases, new research has indicated.

According to NetBenefit, some 70 per cent of British e-shoppers do not realise that their financial details are potentially at risk when Internet Explorer shows up a golden security padlock or a green browser bar.

The results came as something of a surprise to NetBenefit chief operating officer Jonathan Robinson, who asserted that Brits need to be educated more effectively about the risks.

"The industry has put standards in place to provide the online shopper with confidence, but many shoppers simply do not know what they are supposed to be looking for," he explained.

"If you have any doubts about the website that you are visiting, look for the golden padlock and just right click to find out whether the certificate owner and the website match."

There are approximately 27 million e-shoppers in the UK and 80 per cent of those questioned said that they were concerned by the risks associated with making online purchases.
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