There are plenty of ways in which online shoppers can stay safe when spending on the internet.

Many of us love ordering items online and seeing parcel delivery vans drive up to our door - but people should always remember to stay safe when shopping online.

The internet can offer a huge choice of products, some at discounted prices, but falling victim to cyber fraud or phishing can really ruin a shopping experience.

Writing for Econsultancy, Patricio Robles said that there are many ways to stay safe online. Shoppers should take advantage of privacy protection tools, such as private browsing, and could also consider using two different browsers for different activities, he said.

When shopping online, people could set up a dedicated email address for correspondence, to save confusion. An email address should never include personal details, he warned.

Using tried, tested and trusted online shopping stores could also help customers avoid cyber disaster, the article said.

"So instead of trusting a website based upon its privacy policy, base your trust on your trust of the person or company running it," it explained.

Paying for items via PayPal could be worthwhile, as the service can offer payment protection up to £500.

Posted by Tom Sands.

Article Added: 14/05/2010 15:51:33