UK Finance reported £1.28 billion lost to payment fraud in 2025, up 4% on the year before. The biggest category by volume isn't anything exotic. It's people paying for things that never turn up. Purchase scams accounted for 71% of all authorised push payment cases.
That word, authorised, is the painful part. It means you pressed the button. The money left because you sent it, which makes getting it back far harder than if a card had simply been cloned.
Almost all of it comes down to two decisions made in about ten seconds: whether this shop is real, and how you're going to pay. Get those right and a bad purchase costs you a phone call instead of the money.
What you get
The fake-store checklist. Six red flags to run any unfamiliar shop through before you hand over anything. Quick enough that you'll actually do it.
The payment ladder. Ranked from a virtual card at the safe end down through bank transfer, crypto and gift cards at the other. The ranking is really about one question: if this goes wrong, can the payment be reversed? Anyone insisting on the bottom of the ladder is telling you something.
The Decision Matrix. The situations that actually put your money at risk, in priority order.
Clarity Scripts. Checking out a store, verifying a checkout page, and refusing the bank scam, which is the call telling you to move your money to a "safe account". There is no such thing, and having the words ready matters when the caller sounds official.
A timed action plan and six self-tests. Transaction alerts switched on, a protected payment method set up as your default, banking access locked down.
This is for you if
- You buy from unfamiliar shops when the price is good and hope for the best
- You use the same debit card for everything online
- You don't have transaction alerts turned on
- You wouldn't be certain how to react to a call claiming to be your bank's fraud team
- You've been asked to pay by bank transfer or gift card and weren't sure whether to worry
By the last page
A reliable test for whether a shop is genuine, a sensible default for how you pay, and habits that surface fraud early enough to do something about it.
Course details
- Format: downloadable PDF
- Time to complete: 45 to 60 minutes
- Series: Course 14 of 20, GhostNet Cyber Fundamentals
- Track: Track C, Everyday Digital Safety (Course 4 of 5)
- Prerequisites: none, though Course 09 pairs naturally with it
- Works on: any device, any operating system
- Level: complete beginner, no technical background needed
Buy with confidence
Every course comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn't useful, email us within 30 days and we'll refund you in full. You don't need to give a reason.
Where to go next
Course 15, Family and Kids' Online Safety, closes Track C by extending all of this to the people you're responsible for. Or take Everyday Digital Safety, the five-course bundle covering Courses 11 to 15, for £100 instead of £150.
