Residents in Hucknall and across the county are being urged by Nottinghamshire Police to think before grabbing a bargain as the Christmas and January sales begin.

Online shopping has become the new way to shop quickly, comfortably, and efficiently with customers able to search out the best deals and bargains from the comfort of their own homes and sofas.

Fraudsters don't slow down during the festive season and will always be on the lookout for their next victim to steal money from.

Criminals will take advantage of people's keenness to get a bargain and scam them– so in a bid to help local residents to remain safe online and keep hold of all their hard-earned cash the following simple advice has been issued to shoppers as the Christmas and January sales begin.

The key ways in which people can protect themselves from falling victim to online shopping fraud is to: carefully choose where to shop; keep passwords secure; turn on 2-step verification; provide enough details; and to watch out for phishing emails or texts.

When shopping online users should make sure they are buying from a website or brand that they know and trust. This can be done by always checking for the padlock symbol and https:// within the top bar of the screen and ensuring that the web address is spelt correctly before entering any personal information.

Online shoppers should create a strong password using three random words and include upper/lower case characters, numbers and symbols and should ensure passwords are different on each account.

Important accounts can also be protected by turning on 2-step verification otherwise known as 2-factor authentication. This helps prevent hackers from gaining access to shoppers' accounts, even if they manage to bypass knowing the password. It will ask the account holder to confirm it's really them by asking them to enter the code sent to their phone or from an authentication app.

When shopping online, users should only fill in the mandatory details on a website marked with an asterisk (*).  They shouldn't have to provide security details, for example their mother's maiden name, or the name of their first pet to complete the purchase.

Finally, members of the public should keep an eye out for suspicious emails, calls, and texts, and most importantly remember that their bank will never ask for personal details and never allow remote access to any device from a pop-up or call, this will be a scam.

Cyber Protect and Prevention Officer Kirsty Jackson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "We understand the impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on people and the advertisement of electrical goods, clothing items, vehicles and other goods can sometimes look incredibly appealing.

"But I want to urge anyone who has that feeling that the deal may be too good to be true to act on their feelings and do more research to stop becoming a victim of cyber crime or fraud.

"We've kept the advice as simple as possible and want to show members of the public that developing just a few good online habits and checks could save you hundreds of pounds.

"Follow our simple tips on how to stay safe when shopping in the January sales and always remember if something seems too good to be true do your research before clicking on it or handing over your personal details."

Anyone who believes they may have fallen victim, is reminded of the importance to report all fraud and cybercrime incidents to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre, to help them build a national picture and help prevent others falling victim to scams.

Suspicious emails should be forwarded to [email protected], whilst message scams can be reported by forwarding the original message as a text to 7726.

All other fraud or cybercrime should be reported by clicking here or alternatively by calling 0300 123 2040.

Anyone who is being subjected to a live and ongoing cyber-attack should contact the police on 101.

To access some helpful advice and tips on staying secure online and protecting yourself from fraud, please click here.