Industry watchdog Business Software Alliance (BSA) has cautioned online shoppers to be aware of fake software.
BSA chairman Peter Lindstr"om says many companies and individuals may be selling pirated software online this festive season.
"While the Internet is clearly a convenient and time effective resource for purchasing gifts this festive season, consumers need to be aware of pirated and illegal software being sold on
auction sites, which are popular outlets for software pirates," says Lindstr"om.
To avoid purchasing fake software, the BSA says there are certain things to be aware of when shopping online.
Software that is unreasonably low-priced is usually fake, says BSA. Buyers should also check the product for some kind of documentation to verify its authenticity, and a receipt should be kept until then: "Print out a copy of your order number and sales confirmation and keep them until your software arrives in satisfactory condition" says BSA
BSA also warns that compilations offering software titles from different publishers together should be avoided.
Lindstr"om says buyers suspecting pirated or counterfeit software should contact the police or the BSA immediately.
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