Online shopping scams: 62% of Indians affected in the festive season

Amid discount sales and special collection sales in the festive season, 62% of Indians fell victim to online shopping scams. A poll conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of NortonLifeLock spoke to 1,001 adults between August 15 and September 1.

The global leader in cyber safety held the poll to examine the views toward cyber security and online shopping. Data from Indian users were weighted to match their proportions in the population, reported NDTV.

The report said internet shoppers need to exercise caution, especially when they submit payment information on a website. This data can be monitored and harvested by hackers. 60% of Indians admitted to taking more risks during online shopping in the gift-giving seasons compared to other times of the year.

Earlier this year, Britain's Financial Conduct Authority asked social media platforms to take measures to stop advertising "dodgy financial promotions" to deal with online shopping fraud. In September, Google prohibited investment advertisements that are not FCA-authorised.