Online Shopping - How to Avoid Being Scammed

Online shoppers need to take sensible precautions when they are shopping online, because there are scam artists out there who are always ready to scam shoppers who have not taken precautions. Online shopping is a safe way for you to buy any kind of product, so long as you follow all the right steps that will ensure that the information you have provided is safe and that the item that you have purchased will be delivered to you.

There are a large number of people who are reluctant to shop online because of the fear of being scammed. The top security concerns of online shoppers are:

• Not receiving the item purchased or receiving something totally different.
• Email addresses being sold to third parties.
• Personal and financial information being stolen
• Email scams known as “phishing” or “spoofing”

Online shopping is perceived as a convenient way to shop, since you can shop easily from the comfort of your home. This factor has made it more popular and scam artists are now taking advantage of that. Below are a few tips that you can use to help you avoid being scammed.

Research the website When you are shopping online, you need to know who you are dealing with. The online store that you want to purchase from, should provide you with a physical address as well as phone number that works. Make sure that the website uses encryption technology to transfer information from your computer to the online merchant’s computer. To know if a website is secure, the web address should start with “https” instead of “http”. You can also look for a closed padlock displayed at the bottom of your screen to know if the website is secure. In addition to this, you should read the website’s privacy and security policies.

Use credit cards
When it comes to online shopping, it is always advised that you make all your payments using a credit card. It is the safest way to make payments. Make sure that you don’t use a debit card or an ATM card. Debit cards and checks expose your bank account to thieves.

Don’t give out personal information
Never give out your social security number, since it is not a requirement to place an order. Don’t provide more information than necessary to the web merchant, it can lead to spam mail. Once you have a password for your shopping site, don’t use it on other sites and don’t share it out.

With online shopping, you should always print out a copy of your order, just incase it might be required later in the future.