Safe Online Shopping Tips
As the trend of buying goods and availing services online continues to soar, the frauds and security concerns associated with the same are also on a rise. Technological advancement has given a major boost to e-commerce and other such concepts, which revolve around the computers, and more importantly, the Internet. The concept of online shopping is no more alien to anybody in the world. Millions of people log onto these shopping websites in order to make shopping a convenient affair. What they fail to understand, however, is the fact that they are compromising on their security by not abiding by the rules of safe online shopping. With so many issues of online frauds coming to light every day, it is surprising to see that people continue their online shopping spree, without paying any heed to their own security.
Tips for Safe Online Shopping
Online shopping fraud is a broad concept, which includes a range of activities right from hidden charges and phishing to credit card scams and identity theft. Given below are some of the most simple precautions that you can take when you opt for shopping online.
Carry out your transactions from a secured PC: You need to make sure that the PC you are using for online shopping and related transactions is up-to-date with security measures, such as anti-virus software and firewall. Being one of the most important tip as far as safe online shopping is concerned, this will help you in keeping those malicious programs out of your transactions.
Be well-versed with the website you use: You need to make sure that the website from which you are buying goods or availing services is authentic. Never go through search engine results which feature random sites which you have never heard of before. You need to understand that - more popular the website, lesser are the chances of you being caught in any sort of web of deceit.
Never give away your personal information: You will have to provide some information while shopping online, however you need to make sure that this is just the general information, like your name or contact number. Never give out confidential information, like your social security number, on online shopping websites. More importantly, never fill in any sort of information in pop-up windows, even if you trust the website. Maintaining privacy while shopping online is a must, as giving away confidential information can make you vulnerable to issues like identity thefts.
Go through the privacy policy of the company: A trusted website is bound to have its privacy policy which will cover all the points whereby the website would be legally bound to keep your personal details confidential, and giving away this information to the third party, would mean breach of contract, with possible legal implications. If any website doesn't have their privacy policy in its place, it is better off to stay away from the same.
Paying by credit card is wiser: Always resort to credit card for payment options. Though many of us prefer to use debit cards for online shopping, they don't have all the security features that credit cards do. More importantly, if your debit card number gets stolen, it will give hackers total access to your account, and result in even more difficult situations for you.
Before you order the product: You need to make sure that the transactions are secured, and the shipping policy of the company is in the place. Cross checking the actual price of the product and the shipping charges with other companies, can help you in getting the best deal. Make sure that there are no hidden costs in the shipping charges. You will have to take into consideration the actual price of the item, as well as shipping charges, handling fees and sales tax.
After you order the product: Never reply to confirmation mails which ask for your personal details. Make sure that you take the print outs of all the online transaction records, which you can eventually use as proof. Other than all your transactions with the company, it is wise to save the product description as well. Lastly, you will have to monitor the time required for shipping as well. It is very important to know the terms before you buy the product.
These were some of the general tips which you need to followed in order to ensure that your shopping escapade doesn't go awry. If, at all, you end up having a bad experience, you can report the company to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the consumer protection agency in your area of jurisdiction. There are a number of phishing websites out there in the guise of shopping websites. In such circumstances, it would take efforts from all of us to come together and make online shopping safe and secure.
