POLICE have issued warnings to help online shoppers avoid being stung by scammers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Today (Friday) and Monday (December 1) traditionally see the launch of pre-Christmas sales, with many retailers offering hefty discounts.

But as shoppers search for the best bargains many end up falling prey to online con artists touting eye-catching online offers that turn out to be bogus.

PC Launa Rowley from West Midlands Police’s Economic Crime Unit urged people to be wary of “too good to be true" deals.

She said: “The pre-Christmas rush sees people inundated with offers and deals, most from genuine retailers but some from scammers hoping to part buyers with their festive spending money.

“At this time of year we see a big increase in the number of people having their credit and debit card details stolen via phishing emails and as people shop over public Wi-Fi networks they are more at risk of having their personal details cloned or stolen.

“Don’t let these fraudsters ruin Christmas…don’t fall for the temptation of ‘too good to be true’ bargains and unsolicited emails or social media messages."

In August last year a Dudley woman was convicted on four counts of fraud after conning Facebook users with a bogus business advertising half-price branded toys.

Four social media users − who responded to Facebook messages − parted with a total of £255 but none received gifts they were promised.

Detectives traced the 21-year-old through bank transactions and at court she was ordered to compensate victims, pay £225 in costs and made subject to a six month supervision order.

PC Rowley, added: “It’s vital when buying items online that people stick to the terms and conditions of the company, and that will include paying for goods through the site and not directly to the seller.

“Scammers may offer a discount by dealing with them directly and paying money straight into their account - they might claim there is a technical problem with their PayPal account or some issue forcing people to deal with them directly.

“But anyone who does this should prepare for the strong possibility they will not see their money or promised purchases again − and having ignored the terms and conditions, they won’t be covered by the website."

Top tips issued by police include:

• Do use a credit card or PayPal to pay, as they offer additional protection

• Do monitor bank statements and report suspicious activity to your bank

• Do report frauds and cybercrime and suspicious activity to Action Fraud

• Do change passwords regularly and use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters • Do remember if it looks too good to be true, it probably is

• Don’t click on links in emails advertising sales − go to the website yourself

• Don’t use public Wi-Fi networks − shop from home or a secure network

• Don’t go outside the terms and conditions of the website

For more advice or to report cybercrime visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.