Security and Privacy

Is shopping online with PC World safe?

At PC World, we care about security and make every effort to ensure our transaction process is safe and that your personal information is secure.

We guarantee that every order you make on our website is safe. We use strict security precautions to make our website safe, including the use of a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) server. Any information you enter while you''re using the secure server is encrypted before being transmitted, so it is virtually impossible for an outside party to access or intercept your information.

You can check that you are shopping in a secure environment by looking for either a locked padlock icon or an image of a key in the bar at the bottom of your screen. This should appear on any page where you are entering personal information, such as your payment card details.

The latest versions of the most popular browsers, Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox support this secure connection. If for any reason this option has been disabled on your browser, you will not be able to transact or login until you reset these options. Find these options under ‘control panel’ then “security”.

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How do you protect my credit card details and personal information?

We’re verified by Verisign. That means that our site uses industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt personal information, including your name, address and card details. In this way, information passed between your computer and us cannot be read in the unlikely event of someone intercepting it.

For your additional security and to protect your personal information we request that you enter your password each time you wish to view a page containing your personal details.

You can enrol your card in MasterCard SecureCode or Verified by Visa scheme for added peace of mind. You will be able to set a private code for online transactions, giving you added protection against the unauthorised use of your credit or debit card online.

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How do you protect me against fraud?

We use identity checking to protect you and detect and prevent fraud. As part of our security checks we may call you to verify your details and your identity.

Card transactions are authenticated on our behalf by our Identity Verification partner, currently 192.com. This means that, for your own security, we try to ensure that only the owner of the card is able to use it. Our Identity Verification partner will check against various public and private databases and retain a record of the check and your details that they may use to assist other companies with identity checking.

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What information do you collect?

The information we collect via may include:

  • your Internet protocol (IP) address
  • log in and password details
  • your browser type and version
  • your purchase history

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What do you do with the information you collect?

The details we collect help us:

  • process your order and provide aftersales service
  • carry out security checks and check with our Identity Verification partner
  • comply with legal requirements e.g. if you buy a TV, we are obliged to pass your details to the TV licensing authority

We are a subsidiary of DSG international plc and may need to pass the information we collect to other companies within our group for administrative purposes. We may also use third parties to carry out certain activities, such as processing and sorting data, monitoring how customers use our site and issuing our emails for us.

We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards in connection with the collection, storage and disclosure of personally identifiable customer information.

Our security procedures mean that we may occasionally request proof of identity before we disclose personal information to you or require you to enter your password to access areas of the site displaying sensitive personal information.

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Tips for safe online shopping

  • Protect your password by making it difficult to guess. Anyone who knows your password can access your account.
  • Enrol your card in MasterCard SecureCode or Verified by Visa scheme. You will be able to set a PIN for online transactions for added protection against any unauthorised use of your credit or debit card online.

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