Shopping online is a choice that we have all opted to and it has been more of a paradigm shift in the world of shopping as everything from groceries to electronics are now available on the world wide web, and can be brought with just a click on a button. Everything has a share of good and bad, and so does the world of online shopping, but that shouldn’t steal away the comfort of buying everything you like from your home, so, here are 9 tips to safe online shopping.
- Research: Before you hit buy, always research. Research about everything from the product price on other websites to the reliability of the website and the seller offering it more than once. Do not go blindly by the name of the website selling the product as these online shopping websites are mere aggregators or an online marketplace where sellers come to sell their products. So, be wary of who is selling the goods. Do a through Google search of the seller and read blogs, reviews, and complaints posted on various websites, rather than just the one you are choosing to buy from. Sites, like Better Business Bureau, Yelp.com, etc., can be used to research on the feedback of other users from the past.
- Protect your “data wake:” Ever wondered about the reason for the add pop-up of the product you were browsing, coming up on every site you open thereafter? Well, this is what the digital marketing experts call as “remarketing,” where the prospective customers are presented with ads of the same product until they make a purchase, this tracking is done using your browser cookies. So, that proves that your online activity is not as safe as you think you are. But, do not worry, as you can protect your privacy by using the numerous anti-malware and antivirus software like McAfee, BullGuard, and Kaspersky.
- Use a strong password: If getting locked out of your house or car was something that scares you the most, think about being locked out of your online space. Scary right! Well, this could happen if you do not use a secure and a serious password. And the worst thing you could do to yourself is to use a less secure password all over the internet and make yourself vulnerable for a hack. So, do the smart thing, create different passwords for different portals. One way to generate a strong password is to use short sentences, phrases, words that are not commonly used or found in the dictionary, or combine the sentences with numbers and symbols. This way you could have a password that will make it less likely for hackers to find a way into your system. You could use free tools like Password Meter to check the strength of your passwords.
- Use different email addresses: Just like using the same password on every website is not a smart move, so is it not a smart step to use the same email address on all the websites. Use different combinations for email accounts and passwords and this will help you in your attempt to thwart crooks. For instance, you could create an email id on Gmail that could be used just for subscribing to offers and deals and be restricted to online shopping. This way your personal data is secured even if your account security is compromised. And you could have yet another email address that could be used for services like banking, and has other personal details.
- Be wary of your social media activity: Well, it is indeed sweet to have your facebook wall flooded with wishes from friends, cousins, colleagues, and acquaintances on your birthday, but remember that this is indirectly compromising on your privacy online. As most hackers tend to use information like the date of birth, and other personal data about you that they have collected from the social media to compromise on your account privacy. Be extra careful about what you announce on the social media as this could become a source of information about you to the criminals on the prowl on the internet.
- Have a credit for just online shopping: Just like your email address and password, make sure you have a credit card that is exclusive to online shopping. This way it will be easy for you to check statements in the case of an erroneous charge for online shopping. Else you will be in a loss to track the usage instantly, by trying to go through various bills and transactions.
- Monitor transactions frequently: Even if you have a card dedicated to just online shopping, make sure you constantly check the transaction details. This will help track and put a check on any malicious activities. It is important to not just check for transactions amounting to huge values as most phishing activities happen in small amounts, which on the whole end-up amounting to a whole lot, and keeping recurring month after month.
- Prefer credit card over debit: Always use a credit card if you have to choose between a credit and a debit card as the credit cards are far more protected than a debit card,in the case of a fraud.
- Trust your instincts: If something seems suspicious and fishy, then trust your instincts and gut feeling. Scammers are usually believed to be active around the holiday season as shopping bills surge in this phase and there is less tab on transactions by users. And it has been observed in several instances that scammers generally target women by targeting their sensitive side.Most reported cases have been of scammers using images of abused children, missing kids, etc., to get started with a conversation and know more about you. So, if you smell something wrong, just walk away from it rather than taking a chance and do not under any circumstance reveal your personal information of any kind, online without extra thought.
Happy Shopping!