In recent months, 246 cases of fraud perpetrated on the web against as many Sardinian users have been discovered.

The data - released by the "Sardegna" Cyber Security Operations Center of the Postal Police - highlights how alarming and widespread the phenomenon of scams is in the e-commerce sphere. And, looking at the data, the belief that it is above all the elderly who fall into the traps is also denied. Only in 17 cases, in fact, the victims of the most recent cases of online scams on the island were over 65 years old.

Returning to the balance sheet of the activity of the postal police on the island, in recent months 188 people have been reported to the judicial authority, while the total loot of the scams amounts to 245 thousand euros.

The report also shows a photograph of the scammers' modus operandi : an advertisement is published on a sales site that everyone knows, the victim is hooked up and then the negotiation moves to a private venue. And here comes the "trap". Escaping the verifications of the platform on which the sale is reported, the advertiser has the payment made by recharging a prepaid card. And the scam is packaged.

The Cybernetic Security Operations Center of the Postal Police has also created a brochure that offers some useful advice and practical suggestions for moving between online stores, limiting the phenomenon of scams related to the rush for gifts and very low-cost holiday packages.

First rule: use complete and up-to-date software and browsers. Then always give preference to certified or official sites. It is also important to read the comments and feedback from other buyers on smartphones or tablets using the official apps of online stores. And then above all use rechargeable credit cards.

(Unioneonline/lf)

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