Be Safe When Buying Online

That special time of year is here again: online consumer fraud season! The Business Software Association wants consumers to be smart about buying online.

A new survey conducted on behalf of the Business Software Association by Forrester Research finds that in the last year, nearly one third of online consumers have purchased software from an online retailer, but that roughly 20 percent of those software buyers experienced problems.

According to the survey, of buyers who encountered problems with software purchases, over half (53 percent) received a product other than what they ordered, over one third (36 percent) reported the software did not work, 14 percent realized immediately that the software was pirated, and 12 percent simply never received any product at all.

“The Internet is proliferated with individuals selling pirated software to unsuspecting consumers, and consumers who purchase software or any other product from online auction sites or through email promotions run a high risk of receiving a pirated good,” said the BSA’s VP of Legal Affairs, Neil MacBride. “It’s pertinent that consumers are aware of the dangers of shopping at unknown Web sites or auctions sites and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from these risks, especially during the busy holiday shopping season.”

The BSA offers guidelines to help both consumers and businesses recognize online shopping risks. In particular, the BSA notes that shoppers should trust their instincts when buying online (”if something looks too good to be true…”), check into vendor’s identifying information (including offline customer support), and look for “trust marks” from reputable consumer advocacy groups like the Better Business Bureau.

To promote online buying safety during the end-of-year buying season, the BSA has produced a five minute educational video (which includes an interview with convicted software pirate Danny Ferrer) about how consumers can protect themselves from software fraud.