With Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast approaching we’re reminding you to take extra care when shopping online.

Reports of online shopping fraud remain high with £15.4 million lost to online shopping fraud over the Christmas period last year, nationally.

Before purchasing something online this Friday, we are asking you to stop and think – is that bargain too good to be true?

The most common types of online shopping fraud are:

•  Purchases on social media marketplaces where criminals will ask for payment upfront before sending the item and then victims do not receive the item, or end up with an empty box, or something completely different to what they ordered

• Purchases of high-value goods on Instagram, for example, trainers, or handbags that turn out to be fake

Our specialist fraud team have shared the following advice:

• Check prices of the product across a number of websites:

For example, if four websites are selling the same phone for £300 but only one is claiming it’s a special offer at ‘now £300, was £350’ it’s clear it’s not a particularly special deal

• Check the price history:

There are number of websites you can use to look up the price history of the item you are interested in buying. This will allow you to decide if the prices are as good as you thought

• Be wary of 'was' prices:

Claims such as ‘was £200 now £100’ are very common but do not let these anchor prices mislead you. Sometimes retailers will use the recommended retail price as the ‘was’ price, which only reflects the value of the item when it was first released. Do not automatically trust these prices, check against other websites, or shop prices to try and work out the true value of the item you are buying

• Look at the notes or signs explaining offers:

Always read the small print as sometimes retailers can use a ‘was’ price that has only been offered for a short time. They can do this as long as this is all explained in the terms of the offer; this is often hidden in the small print so it is important to read these terms. Also, be aware that some scammers clone legitimate websites in an attempt to steal banking details, while other websites may sell counterfeit or unsafe goods

Simon Street, our fraud protect and prepare co-ordinator, said: “People are often looking for a bargain at this time of year to get prepared for Christmas, or look for a deal on a more considered purchase. But criminals know this too, and use it as an opportunity to exploit people with a dodgy deal.

“We want people to make the most of genuine Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, but please don’t rush your purchase in desperation to grab a bargain. Make sure you know who and where you are buying from and where possible use a credit card as it offers you more protection if anything goes wrong.”

More advice can be found here: Advice about fraud | Staffordshire Police

You can report fraud online or by calling us on 101. You can also contact Action Fraud