• Online shoppers urged to be vigilant as scammers expected to be active
• An additional 37 trading hours approved to make Christmas and Australia Day shopping more convenient
• 57 extra hours of trading between Labour Day in March this year and Australia Day next year

Western Australian shoppers are being urged by the State Government to be cyber safe this Christmas by being vigilant to scams while shopping online.

Fake websites and social media advertising may set a trap for online shoppers looking for a bargain and could put them at risk of losing their money. In 2021, WA consumers lost almost $730,000 to online shopping scams.

Advice to consumers is to only shop on well-known and reliable websites and, if websites ask for direct bank transfer as the only payment method, be very suspicious. Paying by credit card or a secure payment method such as PayPal is safer, as there is greater chance of getting the money back if the gift is not delivered.

To be totally safe, the best option for Christmas shoppers is to buy from a local "bricks and mortar" store, where they can take immediate possession of the gift and not be impacted by potential delays in postage.

To make Christmas shopping at stores more convenient, 33 extra trading hours for general retail shops in the Perth metropolitan area have been approved and will begin on Saturday, 10 December 2022 ending on Monday, 2 January 2023.

During this period, Sunday and public holiday trading has been extended an extra four hours a day, 8am to 6pm (normally 11am to 5pm), with an additional one hour on Saturdays, 8am to 6pm (normally 8am to 5pm).

From Monday, 19 December 2022 until Christmas Eve inclusive, larger shops can choose to open one hour earlier from 7am until 9pm on weekdays (normally 8am to 9pm).

Additionally, trading for the Australia Day public holiday on Thursday, 26 January 2023 will also be extended by four hours, 8am to 6pm.

This means an extra 57 hours of trading has been added since March Labour Day holidays this year and Australia Day next year.

Comments attributed to Commerce Minister Roger Cook:

"Fake websites look very professional and may even steal the identity of a well-known retailer or brand, so it's easy to be fooled and consumers need to be alert. The items for sale may also be offered at very low prices which may lure people to try to bag a bargain.

"When consumers report fake websites to WA ScamNet at Consumer Protection, the team works with domains and network hosts to get them taken down. However, it will never be possible to close down all these fake websites and social media pages, so it's really important that online shoppers are cautious before entering their personal and financial information during a purchase, unless they are confident the site is genuine.

"To encourage shopping at stores, we have extended retail trading hours this Christmas that will boost consumer convenience and hopefully stimulate sales to support the retail sector."

Minister's office - 6552 6500