Safety Tips for Online Shopping

First of all, remember the old adage that anything that seems too good to be true, usually is.  With that in mind, shopping online can be so much easier and worth your time.  There are a few tips about online shopping that might keep you ahead of the game and away from the scammers and thieves lurking in the data.  You want to pay attention to these tips and do some research yourself at places like http://www.ncpw.gov (National Consumers Protection), before you shop online.  Don’t be afraid to shop online, just know your enemy and DON’T be a victim.

On any good reputable business website, look for buttons on the page like BBB (Better Business Bureau) and TRUSTe.  If you find them, click to see if they do go to the website designated.  If they are real, the information given will be about the company, its address and phone and the BBB rating or TRUSTe rating.  If you click on either button and nothing happens or a bad page comes up, BEWARE!  There are other companies out there that give ratings to stores also, so be sure to check the side of the page or bottom for more information.

Be absolutely certain that your web browser is the most up-to-date version available.  Often times there will be updates that hinder the scammers from getting your information.  Be certain also to keep it updated.

Your privacy is very important.  There is certain information that is not required to shop online or to buy a product.  Your social security number and bank account information is not needed.  Do not give more information than is absolutely necessary.  Most often, the required information would be name, address, credit card number, date of credit card expiration, the small 3 character code on the back of your card and possibly your phone number in case they have to call you.  Have one single credit card that you use for online purchases only.  You can keep better records of purchases by doing so.

If you decide to store your information online at the website, which some of the stores offer so you don’t have to repeat all the information every time you buy, be certain to use a strong password.  Make sure it has 8 or more characters and don’t use your birthday or something easily figured out.  Use a combination of letters, numbers and characters.

At all cost, avoid spam email.  If you get an email offer, don’t follow it.  It is best to just delete the email and go to the website by typing the store URL in.  You can easily make certain you are not being scammed for passwords to your bank or the store where you shop by following this tip.

When you enter data or personal information for a purchase online, make sure you see ‘https://’ in the websites URL at the top of the page.  This means secure shopping.  The ‘s’ at the end is the secure designation.  A regular URL would not have the ‘s’.  You also want to look for a padlock or broken key at the bottom of the page which is another secure designation.  If you do not see either of these, leave the website and do not enter your personal data.  Pay attention to your instincts always!

Check the website for company information.  Most reputable stores have an ‘About Us’ page, Telephone Numbers and Customer service contact information.  If there is no information, it is best to leave the website and not shop there.  Check for approval certificates also.  You can Google the company name.  If it does not have certification, Google will try to stop your visit.

Always be certain to use good antivirus software that will guard against spam and phishing, give you alerts about possible privacy breeches and possibly give you an assessment of reliability.  Keep your software up to date always.

Be on the lookout for deals, but be smart.  Don’t go on a clicking frenzy and end up in some sort of circle of ads.  This can make you lose data, it can cause you to have to shut your computer down or even worse, give information to a scammer.  They will make offers to you and entice you to click deeper in where you will be asked for more and more information.  No deal is worth what can happen to you.  If the first click doesn’t take you to the offer and stop, beware.

Make certain you keep copies of your transactions and the shipping dates.  This will assist you if a problem occurs.  Most of the time, a store will send you an email verifying your purchase.  Save all information.

There are many websites online offering safety information for online shoppers.  Before you shop, check these sites out also.  Be armed with knowledge, be aware and Have fun!