• Always verify the identity of the deal partner and check the previous references regarding the trader. In case the trader has been continuously operating in fraudulent purposes, usually poor references will be available online.
  • Check what kind of information the trader has provided in the certain website. According to the legislation of the European Union the trader must provide quite a range of information prior to concluding a contract. Never purchase from a trader the identity of which cannot be detected.
  • Make sure that the online store has been awarded any trust mark. One of the characteristics of the trust marks (known also as quality marks) – they are placed on the website as electronic labels. Most often the purpose thereof is to inform that a certain code of conduct is respected so that a visitor of the website may be sure that the particular store may be trusted. More information regarding the trust marks is available in the ECC-NET report on the online trust marks: http://ecclatvia.lv/en/publications/ecc-net-projects/552-trust-mark
  • Try to avoid any advance payments.
  • Do not transfer any money to private accounts. Avoid also transactions to unknown natural persons by using such money transfer systems as WesternUnion or MoneyGram as in case of problems the possibilities to retrieve the money will be very restricted, which is the main reason why such payment systems are used by fraudulent traders. Such money transfer services are appropriate when transferring money to a familiar person not for online deals.

More information regarding cases of fraud when purchasing online is available in the ECC-NET report on online fraud: http://ecclatvia.lv/en/publications/ecc-net-projects/553-fraud-internet

Take into consideration that the competency of ECC-NET is limited in cases of fraud as ECC-NET may provide assistance only in respect of existing traders where the normative acts in the sector of the consumer rights have not been observed.