With more industries offering their products and services online, the internet has more to offer than ever before. But with the good, comes the bad, it is also very easy for bogus companies to set up a similar operation and offer high value goods at low prices.

Sounds too good to be true, it usually is. The goods are paid for but never arrive. So how can I tell if the site I am looking at is genuine or otherwise?

A good place to start is the home page. If you click onto any of the big High Street stores websites, you will 'generally' be greeted with a busy page full of wonderful offers, new products and of course, sign up offers for newsletters.

But behind this glitz, look for some great safety (and indeed confidence boosting) features in no particular order of importance...

1. A direct telephone number. Making sure that the contact number is a landline as opposed to a mobile. If you see a mobile number used as a contact point for out of office hours, fine, if it is the only number available then be wary.
2. Postal address or indeed store location. PO Boxes are great but can you return your item if it is faulty, damaged or indeed mis-advertised?
3. Secure credit card capturing? When you add any item to your basket and proceed to checkout and are ready to enter your card details, do you see the magical GOLDEN PADLOCK at the bottom right of your screen? No, then enter nothing. Your card details are probably visible to the whole internet (not that anyone is looking but in truth, they can be intercepted easily)
4. Professional body recognition or authority. Are they a member of a professional body that you have heard of (eg ABTA for holidays, ISIS for retail)? If there is a logo on the site, is it clickable? If yes, then check it out, it should confirm the site you are on and the retailers details. If no, approach with caution, anyone can add an image to a site!
5. Do they have a privacy policy and trading terms statement? Very important pages, namely for the fact that a) they will tell you what they will (and won't) do with your information once captured and b) what will happen if anything goes wrong.

One important point to remember is that EVERY SINGLE UK ONLINE TRADER has to comply with the distance trading act. If you feel you have been dealt with unfairly (or illegally) then call the Office of Fair Trading, they will help you and advise on the next steps or visit your local Trading standards.

Daren Jephcote

As a professionally qualified internet developer (design, application and hardware), I now tour the Midlands teaching compliant internet practices for the every changing web market-place.

With an emphasis on accessible websites that can rank very well within search engines and can be used by all visitors with the minimum of fuss our company's reputation is growing daily.

Backed up with state of the art hosting facilities and online tutorials (full courses also online), I aim to promote good internet standards to all who deal with my company and I for years to come.