As shoppers gear up for Christmas, the NSW government is warning them that payment methods for online transactions are not always secure. The Fair Trading Minister, Anthony Roberts, said a survey commissioned by his department showed many Australians were at risk due to a lack of security.
''Australian consumers spend more than $11 billion every year online and it is vital those transactions are secure,'' Mr Roberts said on Sunday. Fair Trading commissioned a survey of 1000 consumers and 200 small and medium businesses after receiving more than 7000 complaints about online retail last financial year, Roberts said.
Half the businesses do not use security measures
''Forty-eight per cent of businesses surveyed do not use a secure webpage for payments or collecting personal details, and only 33 per cent of businesses have a risk-management procedure in place to deal with security breaches,'' he said.
Still no big market in Australia
The survey also showed only 52 per cent of online retailers have a returns policy, and 59 per cent make their terms and conditions available online. Online trade accounts for 5 per cent of retail spending in Australia but it is expected to grow between 10 per cent and 15 per cent a year over the next three years, the survey revealed.
New website informs customers
Fair Trading has launched a website. Mr Roberts said it would give ''online shopping tips and suggested security precautions''. More information about online trading can be found at fairtrading.nsw.gov.au.