Devon and Cornwall Police is urging online shoppers looking for festive savings to remain vigilant against scams and to secure their accounts ahead of the Black Friday sales.

Around £11.8m was lost to online shopping fraud during last year’s festive shopping season (November 1 2024 to January 31 2025), according to data from the City of London Police, the national operational lead for tackling fraud.

The Government's Stop! Think Fraud campaign provides practical guidance to help individuals and small businesses protect themselves from cyber criminals at a time when many people will be searching for deals online.

Police are offering the following advice to stay protected when shopping online:

• Check the shop is legitimate: Look at reviews on trusted websites before you buy.

• Secure important online accounts: Turn on two-step verification (2SV) for all key accounts to add an additional layer of security, making it far more difficult for fraudsters to gain access.

• Check out and pay securely: If possible, check out as a guest rather than saving your card details. Never pay by direct bank transfer and use a credit card if you have one. If using services such as PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, check what protection they provide.

• Beware of delivery scams: If you receive messages or calls about a delivery, stop and consider whether the request is genuine. Do not click on links in unexpected messages. Verify the request by contacting the organisation directly using details you know are correct — not the contact details provided in the message.

Reporting

If you think you have been a victim of cybercrime, you can report the incident to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or via their website.

If you believe you have lost money or provided sensitive financial information to scammers, alert your bank or financial institution immediately. Many UK banks’ fraud departments can be reached quickly by dialling 159.

Suspicious emails can be forwarded to the National Cyber Security Centre’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service at [email protected]. Suspicious text messages can be forwarded to 7726.