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How you can pay for goods more safely

• try not to give your bank account numbers, credit card details or any other personal information to a company you haven't checked out

• use credit cards, cheques or postal orders – not cash
• if you have to send cash – use registered post
• keep a copy of your order and a note of when you sent it off
• If you pay for a product costing more than £100 on your credit card (even if you only pay the deposit) you may have a claim against the credit card issuer as well as against the trader if you have a complaint. This can be useful if the trader goes out of business.
• if someone uses your payment card fraudulently to shop from home without your permission, you can cancel the payment and your card company must arrange for your account to be re-credited in full.
• if you discover that someone has used your card dishonestly, tell the card issuer as soon as possible