Teenagers 'Making Illicit Online Purchases'

Many of us are familiar with shopping online; it can be a great way to save time and money. The goods come right to your door and often you can find fantastic bargains by shopping around. It seems the nation’s children are finding the internet a tempting place to do their shopping as well. Unfortunately, they are using their parents’ card details to do it. This totals nearly £200 million per year.

Some ten per cent of 15-year-old boys make an illicit online purchase every month using their parents' credit cards, it has been claimed.

According to an organisation which provides customers with support and protection for their credit and debit cards, mobile phones and identities, teenagers are purchasing a range of products - from computer games to fashion accessories.

A fraud expert said: "Parents need to talk to their children about this and make sure they are aware of the temptations in front of them and why they shouldn't do it."

"They should make sure [teenagers] are not using their usernames and passwords and are not using saved credit card details." He added. Recent research from the firm showed over three quarters of youngsters use the internet without supervision and nearly one quarter buy things online without their parents' permission.

The study also revealed one in five children use mums' and dads' passwords for online shopping site accounts. Parents need to supervise their teenage children or they risk having their online security compromised or worse - exposed to ID theft and online fraud. Online fraud is on the rise; however, it is shocking to discover the extent of children’s involvement.

Top tips to prevent this type of fraud:

•    Do not save your credit card details online.
•    Do not let anyone know your passwords to online accounts or change them regularly.
•    If you bookmark your favourite stores make sure you do not stay logged in to your account.
•    Supervise your children when they are on the internet.
•    Check credit card statements carefully and query any unusual purchases.

If you would like to know more about parenting why not ask AnswerBank Family.