Security & Privacy

When you shop from home, bear in mind that you often have to give more information to the trader than you would if you were in a shop.This could include your name, address, postcode, phone number (land-line), email address and credit card details. Remember that the information you give to a trader, even via the internet can't be given to anyone else without your agreement.

If the company you're buying from wants to pass on your email addres to someone else, it must also give you the right to say no. This is often done with a tick box on the paperwork. Make sure you do this if you do not want your name passed on.

There are a number of things you can do to ensure more safety when paying for goods:

- Try not to give your bank account numbers, credit card details or any other personal information to a company you haven't checked out.
- Use credit cards or cheques. Postal Orders are ok at a push but never send cash.
- If you have to send cash, use registered post.
- Keep a copy of your order and a note of when you sent it.
- If you pay for goods or services costing more than £100 on your credit card (even if you only pay the deposit), you may have a claim against the credit card issuer as well as against the trader if you have a complaint. This can be useful if the trader goes out of business.
- If someone uses your payment card fraudulently to shop from home without your permission, you can cancel the payment and your card company must arrange for your account to be re-credited in full.
- If you discover that someone has used your card dishonestly, tell the card issuer as soon as possible.

Unwanted emails (Spam)
If you want to stop companies sending you unwanted emails (known as spam), register with the Direct Marketing Association's email preference service. You can also try your internet service provider (ISP) as they can often trace the sources and put a block on future mailings. There are many spam filters and bulk mail/junk blockers available that you can install on your computer/email inbox, but be very careful when using these - they sometimes struggle to differentiate between spam and legitimate mail that you actually want to receive.