Video: Notts TV’s Kate Chaplin finds out how to stay safe on Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday is one of the biggest days in the online retail calendar but Nottinghamshire Trading Standards have warned it’s also a breeding ground for online crime.
According to an online advice service fraudsters are expected to steal over eight million pounds from UK bank accounts this Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday is the Monday that immediately follows Black Friday and until 2014 was the worlds biggest online sale day until the Black Friday boom.
This years Black Friday deals were extended over the weekend up until Cyber Monday which Nottingham-based retail IT specialists Retail Assist dubbed “Black Fiveday”.
The company predicted that a record £5 billion is to be spent in the UK over the whole weekend on internet purchases alone.
But with Black Friday being shunned by the majority of Nottingham shoppers in favour of online, Nottinghamshire Trading Standards are warning shoppers of cyber crime.
Paul Gretten from Nottinghamshire Trading Standards said: “Internet criminality is a problem all year round in Nottinghamshire, as it is in the whole country, but it’s concentrated at this time of year.
“This is really the beginning of the busy period, Cyber Monday leads then to the Christmas period, so the problems that we see all year round are just amplified at this time of year.
“It could be that your card details are stolen and then all kind of awful things can happen with your bank accounts, or it could be physical harm to you if you consume some counterfeit alcohol or buy a dodgy electrical item.
“We strongly suggest that people stick to reputable well-known websites and businesses and avoid anything that they haven’t heard of.”
