Gardaí are urging shoppers to be aware of the dangers of online shopping fraud in the run up to Christmas.
In the first ten months of this year, 550 incidents of online shopping fraud were reported, totaling just under 850-thousand euro.
Shoppers are being urged to buy from trusted sources, check payment methods and read the website's policy on refunds.
Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan has a few tips to make sure the sale and your details are secure:
If you're using your credit card, don't use public WiFi in a restaurant or anything like that.
Switch to your 3g, 4g on your phone just to make sure it's secure.
Another telltale is if a site is offering you to go on Whatsapp to pay cash and get it cheaper.
Never enter into those off site communications for a lower cash price.
