Top 7 Must Know Safety Tips While Shopping Online

You must love shopping online and you have every reason to do so! You get amazing perks like good bargains, huge selection, fast shipping, easy returns, heavy discounts and secure shopping. There has never been a time in history when shopping was so easy! You can also compare prices and save money while shopping online.

But with the increasing popularity of e-commerce, the risks associated with shopping online have also increased. The number of people who want to scam you for your money or steal your financial details are increasing. So, it is critical that you use safe payment apps, and know and follow basic simple rules to do safe online shopping.

There are a plethora of shopping websites on the internet out of which, many hosts thousands of independent sellers. While most of them can be perfectly legitimate, you must know how to spot the temporary fraudulent ones for secured online shopping. You need to follow some practical advice and use your common sense to shop safely online.

Here are some basic safety tips on how to shop safely online. Follow them and shop with confidence.

1. Place orders from a secure connection

Before entering any of your personal or financial details on any site while shopping online, research and verify if the site is legitimate and secure. Sites that begin with “https” are encrypted, which means that the data you enter will be more secure. All legitimate e-commerce websites have the “s” for security.

2. Know the merchant and their reputation

Start your shopping journey at a trusted site. Search results can be manipulated to lead you to a fraudulent website, especially after the first few organic links. If you know the website, there are greater chances of it being genuine. You must also use only known and safe payment apps that you’ve used before.

Most major retail outlets have an online store. However, you must be aware of misspellings, poor user interface or unusual brand colours on websites or usage of different top-level domains like .net instead of .com. If you are looking at a website you haven’t ordered from before, look up for it online to discover any of its negative reviews.

3. Avoid offers that seem ‘too good to be true’

If you are shopping online and find the item that you are looking for available at a price that seems too good to be true, chances are there’s a fraudster on the other end. Online scammers often pick popular items and list them online at discount prices to attract customers. While you are thinking that you’re getting a great deal, scammers are waiting for you to make the payment and shut down their shop in a matter of days. Make sure that you take time to relook at the offer and its credibility and look for secure checkouts while buying anything online.

4. If you are buying a gift card, read the terms and conditions

Avoid buying gift cards from unfamiliar websites as the gift cards may be stolen or counterfeit. Make sure that you buy gift cards only from known and trustworthy sources. Even when you are buying a gift card from a retailer, you must check it beforehand and see if the codes on the card aren’t scratched off already. If possible, register your gift card online after buying it so that you can use it in case the card gets lost or is stolen.

5. Don’t buy from an online store that requires more information than necessary

Most websites you shop from will ask you for your contact details to make a wish list or place an order. You must only give them the information that is absolutely required. If it is optional to give your address or phone number, you must skip filling those fields. You can also read the online seller’s privacy policy on how your information will be shared before committing your information to the site.

6. Update your software

Even though updating your software is one of the easiest ways to protect your information, many people put the updates off. Software updates are released by your computer or app store to improve security and fight new attacks that are doing rounds on the internet. The protective benefits of app and software updates are well worth the inconvenience you may have while waiting for your computer or smartphone to restart.

7. Use a credit card

When shopping online, ask yourself the question – does this online payment option look safe? If you are unsure of the seller the best thing you can do is select the ‘cash on delivery’ option. If you are making an online payment, the best way to make it is with credit cards or other third-party payment services. This is because debit cards are linked to your bank account and you’re at a higher risk if someone is able to hack into your information.

Alternatively, credit cards offer better protection and less liability even if your card number gets stolen. Even for speedy refunds in case something goes wrong with the purchase, credit cards and payment services are the best payment options.

Read More: Tips to Protect Your Money From Online Frauds

You don’t want your identity stolen or your bank account to get wiped-out. Make sure that you stay alert and pay heed to the above safety tips to shop for the products and services you like online securely.