Online shopping has been one of the latest trends in technology. However, with this increased use comes vulnerability to cybercriminals and hackers looking for potential targets. There are a number of steps that you can take in order to ensure that all transactions made online are safe and secure. Below is a list of security tips that will help you improve your ability to safely shop online:
- Ensure the website is secure before entering any personal information. There have been numerous cases where criminals have set up fake websites to trick victims into entering their credit card information. In order to guarantee that it is a legitimate site, look for HTTPS instead of just HTTP when making the purchase from an eCommerce store or other website selling products or services via the internet. Also, look for the padlock icon to indicate that your connection is secure.
- Make sure you’re using updated software and operating systems. Just like any other device, computers and smartphones need to be updated as well. Updates help release patches that guard against potential security risks or bugs that can compromise information stored on your device.
- Check out popular shopping forums. It’s a good idea to check what others have to say about a particular eCommerce store before buying products from them. Most e-stores have a separate section where customers can post their experiences with the website after making purchases there, including how quickly items were delivered, the overall cost of purchase, the responsiveness of customer support etc. If it seems too good to be true then it probably is.
- Only shop on websites that have a strong online reputation. You can check the reputation of a website by going to one of the many review sites available where you can find comments and feedback from previous customers of particular eCommerce stores. This will allow you to figure out if they’re legitimate or not before checking out their products and services.
- Do not click on links that were sent via email. If you receive an email from your e-store saying that there have been some changes to your order, do not click on any links within it unless you know for sure what they lead to and who sent them in the first place (most likely is someone pretending to be customer support). Also, do not reply with sensitive information such as your credit card details – doing so may confirm charges that will be made on your account.
- Use a credit card rather than a debit or pre-paid card. This is because of the extra layers of protection that come with using a bank-issued credit card, which is not available when you pay with cash. If there’s ever any unauthorized activity on your account, your bank will investigate and quickly resolve the problem for you within 24 hours.
- Be aware of sizing charts. Make sure to check how measurements are being presented before ordering clothes online since different websites have their own version of it (i.e., some use centimeters while others use inches). Since this is very important in order to determine if an item fits properly, it’s best to do this before making any purchases so you don’t have to go through the hassle of returning items that won’t fit.
- Check for hidden costs. Remember that there are often additional taxes and shipping fees involved when purchasing products online, which means the overall price may not be as low as advertised on some sites. When comparing prices, remember to factor in these extra costs or else you might get a rude awakening when your credit card bills arrive later on.
- Only use secure payment methods. Credit cards are generally considered safer compared to debit cards because they give users more protection by allowing them to contest unauthorized charges via their credit card provider (i.e., no direct access between funds and criminals) while debits are directly withdrawn from your bank account. Also, avoid using pre-paid credit cards because they don’t offer the same level of protection since there are no additional layers between your money and cybercriminals.
- Double-check delivery information. Before completing a purchase, you should double-check that all details about where items will be shipped have been put into their corresponding fields (i.e., address, contact phone numbers, etc.). If there’s anything that seems out of place or just doesn’t seem right, then it would probably be best to confirm this with customer support first before ordering anything. Make sure to double-check everything thoroughly!
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