Irish consumers are expected to spend around €100m today, Black Friday, and many will make purchases online.
The national registry of .ie domain names has issued advice on how to stay safe when shopping online.
With over 330,000 .ie domain names, the registry safeguards Ireland's unique online identity and empowers businesses to thrive online.
According to the latest DNSAI Compass Report, which identifies Top Level Domains with high and low levels of observed malicious abuse, .ie domains have been ranked amongst the Top 10 safest domains against phishing and malware.
David Curtin, CEO of .IE, says consumers who are shopping online should try to shop on .ie sites – not only are they supporting Irish businesses, but they are much safer than some alternatives.
Ensure the website you are buying from has a security certificate – the lock or https://
This lock or 's' means that the website is secure. According to .IE's 2022 Domain Profile Report, 60% of content rich .ie websites are secured with a security certificate; this level of security is crucial to safeguard customer's data.
EU law states that a website must list a geographic address, and so .IE advises consumers to check that the site they are shopping on has listed an address before purchasing.
Shop on a domain you recognise - if a deal or price seems too good to be true, approach with caution. It is highly likely it could be a fraud attempt.
.IE urges businesses to ensure that consumers can shop safely on their websites this festive period based on the fact that consumer trust while shopping online is vital.
According to a .IE Consumer Trust survey, 69% of consumers trust businesses that have their own website, while just 24% trust businesses that are only on social media.
