One-third of online purchases ‘fail to arrive’

ONE-THIRD of all goods bought by online shopping fail to arrive, according to a new EU report.

The European Consumer Centre Network (ECC-Net) has also warned that online fraud is on the increase with a growing number of reports about illegal activities such as “phishing” and problems with internet auctions.

In its annual report for 2005 on the European Online Marketplace, the ECC-Net — which is funded by the European Commission — reported a 74% overall increase in the number of complaints from consumers.