Rachel Jones: helping consumers

A Scots businesswoman has launched a tool aimed at helping consumers avoid becoming victims of online scammers.

Rachel Jones, who runs the brand protection company SnapDragon, believes BogusBuster can tackle a problem which has cost UK citizens £16 million since lockdown began.

Online shopping soared from 20% to 80% during lockdown, but one in three shoppers have found themselves the target of a scam.

BogusBuster is a free service backed by Innovate UK, the government’s scheme to help companies bring solutions to market.

The tool guides users through everything scam-related, empowering them to shop safely online – such as spotting a fake product, instant authentication for a website or online store, or learning about the latest scam threats.

Edinburgh-based Ms Jones said; “Lockdown and social distancing has forced more and more of us to do more online which scammers are seeing as a huge opportunity.

“BogusBuster helps everyone to remain safe when using the internet and it has been designed to be easily accessible to all.”