Prices are Melting in the Summer Heat!

Many of the online shops listed on Shopsafe are having a summer sale at the moment, and there are some great bargains to be had. So much so that we sent a Summer Sales newsletter to our subscribers.

With the temperature rising who wants to shop online (unless you can get wi-fi at the beach!) so these sales are an incentive to stay in and shop online. You can keep up to date with shops having sales on our sales page.

Happy shopping!

Common Sense required to beat Online Fraud

I was asked today about the new figures released by APACS revealing a surge in online fraud.

Online banking fraud jumped 132% to 52.5 million. Credit card fraud in total was just over £600 million in the UK last year. (2008)

Your first thoughts on reading this might naturally be shock and worry - and I wouldn't blaim you.

But with a few simple precautions you too can be safe online. At shopsafe.co.uk we have many safe shopping tips but here are 3

1. NEVER click on a link in an email purporting to be from your bank or anywhere else and give your password, bank details or other security information (Mother's maiden name for example). If they are desperate call them - it won't hurt.
2. ALWAYS use online shops that are recommended to you
3. CHOOSE a different online banking password to all your other ones - and never use it anywhere else online

Follow these simple steps and you won't be in the statistics next year.

Scam Awareness Month

While Shopsafe helps you stay safe when shopping online, Get Safe Online is national initiative to help you understand how to stay safe and secure on the internet at all times.

With the credit crunch biting there has been a rise in the number of internet scams as fraudsters attempt to prey on peoples’ worries about money.

Did you know that:

· 23 percent of UK internet users say that they, or their close friends and family, have fallen victim to phishing scams in the last year. This is up from eight percent the year before.

· The OFT estimates that three million UK consumers fall victim to scams sent by email, internet, post, text and the phone, collectively losing £3.5 billion.

· 36% have been affected by a computer virus

· Less than a third consider themselves to be up-to-date with internet security issues

· One in five have been victims of internet scams

You can find more information about how to protect yourself against internet scams by looking on the Get Safe Online blog here: www.getsafeonlineblog.org/scams-awareness-month.

Thinking of sending roses for Valentines Day?

If you're a romantic at heart, you'll no doubt be thinking of sending some flowers to your loved one this Valentine's Day. The price of red roses seems to shoot up this time of your, so we've compared the price of a dozen red roses at some of the major online florists, with dramatic results!

The cheapest twelve red rose bouquet was £14.98 from Valueflora, and the most expensive dozen roses was £74.99 from Interrose. Admittedly, the Interrose roses are the fabulous 100cm long flowers.

It doesn't stop there though, if you've got the budget of a billionaire you can send 288 red roses for £389.99.

You can see the full list on the Send Some Flowers web site. Hurry, these prices could change or the flowers could sell out.

Send Some Flowers is Shopsafe's sister site.

Compare Florists and Save Money

We've updated the Send Some Flowers web site so you can compare flowers from the finest online florists, as well as finding voucher codes to make sure you get the best prices.

This should be especially handy for you with Valentines Day and Mothers Day in the next few months. Visit Send Some Flowers.