Online shopping has become incredibly popular in recent years and has made our life easier. You can save a lot of time, energy, and effort by purchasing your products online.
Since online shopping has improved and grown over the past years, some risks have also emerged. You can hear about fake webpages or scammers who try to steal credit card details from customers. Fortunately, you can enjoy shopping online without falling victim to online fraud.
With this article, we would like to give you some tips for shopping and paying safely online. If you follow the steps below, you will be able to protect yourself from scams more easily.
TIPS FOR SHOPPING AND PAYING SAFELY ONLINE
1. Use strong passwords
Most people never change their passwords. However, it might be useful to choose a new one every now and then to make sure that it won’t be cracked.
Also, cybercriminals know that most users choose the same password over and over again when creating accounts on different websites or marketplaces. So, if they can get into one of your accounts, it’s likely that they will gain access to other accounts as well.
As a result, you need to be really focused, and it’s important to remember to choose strong and secure passwords. There are many recommendations and best practices when it comes to creating strong passwords. The below guidelines may help you as well:
- Don’t use sequential numbers or letters
- Avoid using birth year, month, or day in your password
- Use a combination of upper- and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and symbols.
- Avoid using your pet’s name, words relating to your hobby or job, the name or birthday of your family members
- Never reuse your passwords
2. Don’t shop online in public
Many people use their laptops or phones for shopping online while they are sitting in a cafe. However, we recommend avoiding shopping online when you are in a public place.
Anyone can have a glance at your credit card details when you enter the data on the shopping website. You may use a site that has already stored your credit card details, however, the safest and best option is to stay at home when you shop online.
3. If an offer is too good to be true, it’s better to leave it
Sometimes you can stumble upon online stores that offer goods at incredibly low prices. Before making a purchase, you may want to compare some products with other e-stores. If you find that the price is way too low, remember, it’s probably too good to be true.
Too low prices are always suspicious, and they can tell a lot about the seller or what you can expect when ordering the product.
Unfortunately, customers sometimes don’t get their products, or they get a low-quality substitute that is not even close to the advertised product. Some goods won’t work, and it will be impossible to return them or ask for a refund. Not to mention the fact that your personal data – along with your credit card details – may be sold to other people.
Shopping online is great, and it has plenty of benefits. However, we want to make sure that you know all the risks so you can safely shop and pay online.
4. Make sure that the site is secure
Before entering your card details, always check the web address of the e-store. Does it start with ‘http’ or ‘https’?
If you can see only the ‘http’ version, put your credit card back into your wallet and close the webpage. The URL needs to start with ‘https’ where ‘s’ means it is safe and secure, and your information will be protected.
5. Use a secure Wi-Fi
Though using a public Wi-Fi network is an attractive option, you probably want to wait and buy the items when you are already home.
Hackers love public networks because they can easily seize any kind of personal data. They can check your browsing data or even access your email accounts and passwords. When you’re shopping online, you also give your credit card details and name, so all your data is in great danger.
It’s a lot safer to shop and pay online when using a secure connection, so avoid making online purchases when using a public Wi-Fi network.
6. Make sure that you trust the retailer
Before shopping and paying online, you have to make sure that you trust the website where you intend to place an order.
How can you make sure that the website is safe, and you can trust it?
If you find a lot of spelling mistakes, that’s definitely a red flag. One or two mistakes are probably okay, but normally retailers want to make sure that their website is in accordance with the highest standards. As a result, they tend to double-check everything.
You should check the associated social media accounts too. Here you can see if they interact with their followers, or if their followers leave positive comments under their posts.
Search for customer reviews online too. If they don’t try to hide reviews, it means that transparency is important for them.
7. Regularly update the shopping apps that you use
Most online shopping websites have apps that you can use for buying items conveniently. These usually make the whole process much easier. Partly because we can store our credit card details within the app so when we buy something again in the future, we don’t need to add the details repeatedly.
This sounds convenient; however, you need to make sure that you update your apps regularly. If there are any bugs in the older version of the system, scammers can easily use the situation to their advantage and get the data they want.
Fortunately, you can easily eliminate this risk factor by regularly updating your shopping apps.
8. Always check the return policy
A clear return policy makes customers feel secure. This is where they can check their rights regarding return and refund processes
If you cannot find it anywhere on the website, you have every right to be suspicious. In that case, you should avoid buying products from the e-store.
9. Always use secure payment methods
Credit cards or PayPal are usually the safest ways to pay online. You should avoid payment options such as bank transfers or sending checks via mail.
10. Always keep a record of your payments
Make sure that you save your receipt, order confirmation number, and any messages between you and the seller. If there are any problems later, you can always use them as references. At the same time, check your credit card and debit card statements regularly and look for any fraudulent charges.
If you see that something is not right, notify your bank right away.
We know that shopping online is great, however, it’s important to make sure that you place an order with a legitimate seller. You can always follow these tips for shopping and paying safely online. And remember: if you find something suspicious, even just a little bit, close the page and buy from another vendor. Under no circumstances are you obliged to make that purchase.
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in London
