Below are some shopping guidelines on how to safely shop online.

1. Research The Products
Take the time to find your product and do research into the products and online stores before you purchase..

2. Compare Products
Once you have narrowed your choices down of products, compare them to find the right one for you. Consumer reviews can uncover theadvantages and disadvantages of similar products.

3. Calculate total price
When you compare prices don't forget to add any applicable tax, delivery/postage import tax if you are buying from abroad, and packing charges to the basic price. Some online stores occasionally offer free delivery promotions.

4. Low Prices
Stores with the lowest prices do not always provide the highest level of customer service. If you are unsure about a company then do a google search on their web address and see what others have to say about them.

5. Order ahead of time
Give yourself as much time as you can, and check estimated delivery times, especially around Christmas and Valentine's Day etc.. You can often speed up the delivery of your order, but you will nearly always have to pay extra for this.

6. Check return policies
Before you buy, check the particular store's return policy. Return policies can vary widely, though some online stores offer 30-day money-back guarantee.

7. Pay by credit card
Paying by credit card can help protect you from online fraud as many credit cards offer complete purchase protection. This can also help if your goods fail to arrive, or are damaged or faulty (although this may depend on your individual card provider's terms and conditions). Paying by debit cards may not offer you the same amount of protection.

8. Keep all of your receipts
Print and save all your online receipts and keep any other documents you receive (whether by post or with the delivery) offline in case you need to track your deliveries or return an item.

9. If you experience a problem, take action immediately:
Contact your credit card issuer or bank immediately. Notify the online shop where you purchased the goods as soon as you become aware of the issue. If the store does not resolve the problem quickly and to your satisfaction, there are a number of organisations you can consult to try and obtain help. Try the following organisations for advice on matters such as making complaints, your rights as a consumer and guidance on online shopping: - Trading Standards, Citizen's Advice Bureau, The Office of Fair Trading

Online fraud is quite rare, however, you should always take reasonable steps to shop as safely as possible and to protect yourself from things that can go wrong.

To protect yourself from credit card fraud, be careful about giving your bank or credit card information or password to anyone contacting you via email, Instant Message, or telephone - these requests may well be fraudulent. Unless you are completely sure about where the request has come from, you should not give out any personal information.

Always shop on websites which use secure transaction methods. You will know you are on a secure site by a padlock icon showing in the bottom corner of the web page - this will appear on all pages of the site which require you to enter confidential information such as payment details. Also The web address should start https:// (note the 'S' on the end rether than just http://). Remember though when you first look around the website you are shopping on you will probably not be in secure mode as described above - only when you buy something you should be sure that you are.