Current timestamp: 21/05/2025 19:23:04
AgeAlertAnonymousAppealsApplicationsApply Or RegisterArea OutlineArrow DownArrow LeftArrow RightArrow UpAutomatic DoorsBack ArrowBusinessCalendarCashArrow DownArrow LeftArrow RightArrow Down[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-chrome' for 'English (United Kingdom)']ClockCloseContactDirectionsDocumentDownloadDrawDrugExpandExternal LinkFacebookFb CommentFb LikeFiletype DefaultFiletype DocFiletype PdfFiletype PptFiletype XlsFinance[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-firefox' for 'English (United Kingdom)']First AidFlickrFraudGive FeedbackGlobeGuide DogHealthHearing ImpairedInduction LoopInfoInstagramIntercom[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-internet-explorer' for 'English (United Kingdom)']LaptopLiftLinkedinLocal Activity[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-location' for 'English (United Kingdom)']LoudspeakerLow CounterMailMapMap PinMembershipMenuMenu 2[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-microsoft-edge' for 'English (United Kingdom)']Missing PeopleMobility ImpairmentNationalityNorth PointerOne Mile RadiusOverviewPagesPaper PlaneParkingPdfPhonePinterestPlayPushchairRefreshReportRequestRestart[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-rotate-clockwise' for 'English (United Kingdom)']Rss[Missing text '/SvgIcons/Symbols/Titles/icon-safari' for 'English (United Kingdom)']SearchShareSign LanguageSnapchatStart AgainStatsStats And Prevention AdviceStopSubscribeTargetTattosTell Us AboutTickTumblrTwenty Four HoursTwitter LikeTwitter ReplyTwitter RetweetUploadVisually ImpairedWhatsappWheelchairWheelchair AssistedWheelchair ParkingWheelchair RampWheelchair WcYoutubeZoom InZoom Out

Leave this site

Cookies

We use some essential cookies to make our website work. We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your preferences and understand how you use our site.

You can manage your preferences and cookie settings at any time by clicking on “Customise Cookies” below. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our Cookies notice.

Accept cookies Reject cookies Customise cookies

Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.

Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.

Sorry, there was a technical problem. Please try again.

Skip to main content

Skip to main navigation

Welcome

This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.

Show me the site

Cleveland Police crest

  • Back to Report

    • Crime
    • Rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences
    • Road traffic incident
    • Report antisocial behaviour
    • Report a missing person
    • Fraud, bribery or corruption
    • Spiking
    • Stalking or harassment
    • Lost or found property
    • Lost or stolen vehicles
    • Hate crime
  • Back to Tell us about

    • Tell us about possible terrorist activity
    • How to tell us about something you've seen or heard
    • An existing case or report
    • A procession or event you are planning
    • Filming
  • Back to Apply or register

    • Careers and volunteering
    • Charity collection licences
    • Compensation for victims of crime
    • Firearm, shotgun or explosives certificate
    • Attend a misconduct hearing
  • Back to Request

    • A collision report
    • Intellectual property (IP) licence
    • Compensation for something the police have done
    • Request your fingerprints
    • Information: about the police, about yourself or someone else
  • Back to Thanks and complaints

    • Feedback about the website
    • Complaints
    • Say thanks
  • Your area
  1. ...
  2. News

Top 9 Tips to Staying Safe Online on Cyber Monday

Main article content

News
Published: 12:00 01/12/2019

Tomorrow, Monday 2nd December, is Cyber Monday and Cleveland Police’s Cyber Crime team are offering their top nine tips to staying safe when shopping online.

Shopping online can save time and effort and gives you a wide choice of goods from around the world. Unfortunately, while most buyers and sellers are genuine, fraudsters use online shopping scams because they can hide their identity and target many victims at the same time.

Observing the below safe shopping practices may prevent you from becoming a victim of online fraud:

  • Do some research to find out what a fair or competitive price is for similar goods in the same condition; if the offer sounds too good to miss out on, it might not really exist, be fake or of inferior quality.
  • Fraudsters often use stock images or other people’s images, or use the same image on multiple websites/adverts. You can check if images appear elsewhere on the internet through websites like TinEye or ReversePhotos. 
  • Check the seller or buyer’s review history and feedback from other reviewers. Beware of accounts that may have been set up very recently with lots of favourable feedback that sounds similar, this could be an indication of fake reviews.
  • Always use the site’s recommended payment site, if they have one, and read the terms and conditions to understand what you are protected for. If you pay any other way than via a recommended payment site, you may not be able to recover your money.
  • Where there’s no recommended payment site, paying via credit card or known third party payment providers is preferable to direct bank transfers. Check your bank statements or online account regularly.
  • Make sure that the website you’re buying from is genuine – and not a fake or copycat site – by typing in the address yourself and checking the spelling. Fake addresses usually vary from authentic ones with just one or two incorrect letters.
  • Research sellers’ and other bidders’ selling history. And bear in mind that a website ending ‘.co.uk’ doesn’t necessarily mean it’s based in the UK. Check the address of the company and the phone number.
  • Don’t make payment over insecure WiFi (a public WiFi or one with no password to access).
  • Make sure you’re making payments on a secure site as some fake sites are made to look like real ones. You can check the URL website link is secure in two ways:
  1. There should be a padlock symbol in the browser window where you can see the site address / URL when you log in or register (beware on unfamiliar sites as this can be faked); if you’re not sure the webpage is genuine, don't use it.; be sure that the padlock is within the address bar at the top of the screen, not on the page itself
  2. The web address should begin with ‘https://’; the ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’.

Other useful sites include:

Get Safe Online
Provides unbiased, practical, easy-to-understand information about online safety and security.

Action Fraud
The UK’s national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre.  Providing a central point of contact for information about fraud and cyber crime. Call 0300 123 2040.

Vehicle Safe Trading Advisory Group (VSTAG)
An industry forum created to help protect buyers and sellers of pre-owned vehicles from fraud during the online buying and selling process.

 

Share

Is there a problem with this page?

Footer navigation

Cleveland Police

  • Contact us
  • Find a police station
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Campaigns
  • News
  • Privacy notice
  • Cookies
  • Terms and conditions
  • Accessibility

Information and services

  • Advice and information
  • Crime prevention
  • Accessing information (FOI)
  • Stats and data
  • Report
  • Tell us about
  • Apply or register
  • Request
  • Feedback

Partners

  • Police and Crime Commissioner
  • Police.uk
  • Ask the Police

Follow us on:

© Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.