Black markets deals may be "too good to be true"

People may be buying stolen goods if they opt to make money savings this Christmas by purchasing presents from black market sources.

That is according to the insurance firm LV=, which has published research suggesting that black market shoppers could end up splashing out as much as £132 million this year on items which are either counterfeit or stolen.

"There is a huge market for stolen and counterfeit items on the internet and buyers should be wary of deals that look too good to be true," John O'Roarke, LV='s home insurance managing director, has noted.

He went on to suggest that people should look closely to see whether the black market products they are buying may be from counterfeit sources.

Money-savvy consumers looking to avoid getting into credit card debt in the coming weeks may also be keen to hear the view of Andrew Hagger from Moneynet.co.uk, who has recently suggested that people should start saving early towards Christmas.

Written by Gemma Walker