More shoppers from Norfolk and Waveney have come forward after being duped by rogue online traders.

Laura Freeman, 40, who lives near Lowestoft, Suffolk, ordered a Nintendo Switch console for her 11-year-old son’s Christmas present.

“I saw one online and it looked genuine - it was coming from the US and I paid through PayPal," she said.

"But I never received a confirmation email and when my husband and I looked into it, the ‘firm’ was registered to a residential address in China and the phone number had a voicemail saying: ‘I’ve had no part in this, I know nothing about it'.

“I felt sick. I reported it to PayPal but they said the seller had 10 days to come back to them. I’m usually pretty savvy and I just felt so stupid. How can those people sleep at night?”

Claire Burgess, 41, from Attleborough, also found herself in a tricky situation after making a purchase online.

She bought a hand-casting kit online for £16.20 and was very surprised when she got some cheap jewellery with swans on it delivered from the same firm instead.

She also paid using PayPal. After initially being told by PayPal she had to return the item to get a refund – with postage costing more than £15 – Mrs Burgess has since been given a voucher to spend on another purchase.

“If I didn’t accept this, the case would be closed in the seller’s favour, I had to take it, I felt like I had no choice.”

Lowestoft Journal: Shopper Claire Burgess, who bought a hand casting kit but got jewellery instead.Shopper Claire Burgess, who bought a hand casting kit but got jewellery instead. (Image: Claire Burgess)

Tips to beat the online scammers:

If you can, use PayPal to pay for goods as this means merchants (as well as hackers and thieves) only see limited personal information and a dispute can be raised.

Check if a website has a registered address which looks genuine and a telephone number.

Do your research online by using sites like Trustpilot to see if other customers have had problems with the website before.

Be wary if a website is offering goods at heavily discounted prices.

Be wary of websites that pop up on social media sites.

Use a debit or credit card which gives you some protection. Shoppers can raise a merchant's dispute or ask for a chargeback, which reverses the transaction, from their own bank.

Be aware of where you can go for help such as Action Fraud, the Citizen's Advice Bureau or trading standards.