On-line buying is easy, convenient and usually good value. Yet, whilst most people are happy to browse the net, many think twice before submitting credit card details to a web site.
The Internet is a largely unregulated environment. Any fraudster can set up a site which appears to have the web presence of a legitimate, well known retailer or provider of services. The site may be registered with a name that is virtually indistinguishable from a genuine trader (eg Dixon instead of Dixons) and contents of the'genuine' site imported into the 'imitating' site. Consumers searching the web for the legitimate retailer may well be directed to the fraudulent replica.
What about existing 'seals of authenticity' ?
Some sites are 'guaranteed' by Internet consumer protection schemes eg. The Consumers' Association and Trust UK. However, these too are are wide open to fraudulent imitation. Nothing prevents illegal traders from copying and displaying these logos on their own site, giving false assurance to prospective customers.
Tradesafely.com provides, probably the only, effective protection against such fraud.
The Tradesafely.com intelligent logo appears only if there is a connection to a genuine site.
The Tradesafely.com logo cannot be imitated both because it has a 'live' symbol and because it has a unique component embedded in the logo which includes a personal challenge phrase (chosen by the consumer)
The absence of the Tradesafely.com logo is a warning that the consumer may well be connected to a 'dishonest' site.
What does the consumer have to do ?
All that is required of the consumer to benefit from this protection is registration of their email address and a personal challenge phrase with Tradesafely.com. This process takes only a few seconds and need never be repeated.
How does it work ?
From then on, browsing any site, which subscribes to Tradesafely.com, will trigger the automatic authentication process
If the site is genuine, the authentication process will display the TradeSafely.Com logo together with the 'live' (personal) challenge phrase.
Security
When consumers register, we retain your challenge prase and e-mail address. We will not pass them on or use them for any purpose other than assuring your safe connection to Tradesafely.com-registered companies and to confirm ownership of credit cards