Shopping online is today’s big thing. Actually, there’s every reason in this world to shop online. Most people are watching for the holiday discounts and hot deals to jump online and shop for gifts and other holiday items. According to the Coresight Research Report, 83% of the US population is waiting for a perfect time to shop for different items including swimwear and other clothes during this summer.
As more and more people flock the internet with their payment being facilitated through an electronic method of payment, there’s increase in fraud, cybercrimes and several other criminal cases. You will never understand this until you get online, land in a bogus retail website and your credit card information gets swiped. As a matter of fact, in 2017, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint center said that they had already received about 300,000 cases of online thefts.
The amount of money that was stolen at this point was totaling to $1.4 billion. That said, I now assume you need to be very careful with online shopping. You don’t want to incur a lot of money to buy something you can never get or just share your credit card details with a bogus website that will steal all your money. In this brief, we will talk about top best tips and tricks that you should implement to reduce instances of theft.
Use familiar and trustworthy websites
This is the first precaution you should take. You can expect many people will be online to shop and look for the best websites for their holiday purchases. The worst thing is that there are thousands of website online which can be a cause of confusion. Just be cautious that individuals that only need your credit card information and use it to commit other criminal activities facilitate some of these websites.
I would recommend you play it safe by doing business with companies you already trust and the ones you have a track record of. If you are wise enough, it gets very simple to differentiate a phony website from a trusted retailer. Just don’t trust your search tags. As a matter of fact, search tags can be rigged to lead you astray. Check on the quality of the website and also check on the reviews. If the company doesn’t have a known developer or if no one is there to reply to your queries when you get in touch with them, then don’t trust them.
Use your detective skills
Now that you have seen a good gift on an unfamiliar website, it’s time to start using your detective skills to gather some evidence. Start by checking if the company you are about to settle for interacts with a social media audience. Take some time to check some of the reviews. Determine what their prior customers are saying. If there’s no way to get testimonials, user comments or reviews, then that not a retailer to trust.
If you still have some time, google for its online reviews. Check what people are saying online. Do they have a history of scam? Are they legit or just another trap? Be cautious enough and take it a step further by contacting the business. If you get a reply fast enough and see that their customer care is very active, then you can trust them a bit.
Don’t overshare
As I have already stated, oversharing your personal information and other details can be a cause of worry. Am very sure you will never see any e-retailer that will be asking for your Social Security Number. Be cautious with any site that asks for your ID number or birth date to do business. If you overshare, then you will be at higher risks of being scammed and conned. Most of the scammers know that the easiest way to get over their prey is by getting their private details.
Look for the lock
The first thing to check before sharing your Credit card information is if the site has Secure Sockets Layer encryption installed. Never share your credit card details with a company that is so open and someone that doesn’t promise security of your information. It is very easy to detect when a site has SSL. If the site’s URL starts with HTTPS instead of HTTP, then that company is secure and ready for a fair business. Also check for an icon of a locked padlock to the left of the URL in the address bar.
Immunize your computer
Sometimes these people will not just sit down and wait for you to give them your information. Most of the instances, they will induce your computer and the information will be shared widely. The best thing to do in this case is to inoculate your computer. Protect it against any malware and make sure the antivirus you are using is up to date. It’s a wise decision to pay for a whole security suite that will come with antiviruses and additional security.
Never use Public WI-FI
Using public WI-FI puts your information at risk. The wisest thing to do here is to privatize your WI-FI. This comes into play if you are shopping via Public Hotspot. In this case, make sure you stick to known networks regardless of the situation.
Final thoughts
You should be safe and at the same time never exploited while shopping online. For this reason, you should make sure you are buying from a site that offers the hottest deals, discounts and quality items. Compare the price and at the same time make sure you are going home with the best item. As you shop around, never pay the full amount at checkout.
There are several things you can do and save a lot while you are shopping online. Start by checking coupon codes, their discount codes and other promo codes. This ensures you save a significant amount of money along the way. Visit CouponCodeGroup for the best coupons, best deals, discount codes and promo codes. Be careful with your personal details. Make sure you don’t sell your Social Security Number, Huduma Number, Birth Dates, National Identification number and your passwords as you shop.