Safe online shopping: 10 tips to avoid getting burned
You need to buy gifts for the holidays and you need to buy them quickly. You can brave the shopping craze at your local mall or relax at home and buy all your gifts online. Doing your Christmas shopping online can be a great way to save time while finding the right gifts at the best price. You’ll skip the parking lot wars, avoid catching the flu from your shopping buddies, and stay out of the sight of pickpockets. But while it can be easy and convenient to shop in your pajamas, you still need to take precautions to make sure your electronic ‘purse laces’ are safe and secure. Here are some simple tips for safe online shopping:
Secure your computer. Make sure your home computer has up-to-date security software installed and run a regular system check to keep keylogging viruses away from hackers.
ONLY buy from home. Don’t shop online from the local cafe, the airport, or other public places. These open networks are easier targets for identity thieves to hack into your computer. Buy only from your secure home network.
Click carefully. Your favorite store feels like a great coupon to you! But wait! Before clicking on email links, make sure where they lead. Scam emails can look like real ones from your favorite stores, with links that appear to lead you to legitimate sites. But hover over the link and you may see a different web address; this could be a bogus site, designed to collect your credit card information in the event of fraud. Your safest bet is to manually navigate to your favorite retailer’s website.
Know your merchant. One of the best parts of shopping online is easily comparing prices to find a great deal. You can find the gift you want for half the price, but make sure the merchant is reputable and trustworthy. If you haven’t done business with a merchant before, look for reviews online. Using aggregators like Amazon.com and Yahoo Shopping is another good way to make sure your merchant doesn’t take you for a fraudulent sleigh ride.
Block your site. When visiting a retailer’s website, look for “https” at the beginning of the URL. This “s”, along with a small gold lock in the lower right corner of your browser, indicates an additional level of security for your online purchases.
Sign off. Always log out safely when leaving a website.
Check if your payment details are stored. Some online shopping sites ask if you want to store your payment details for future purchases. It is always useful to have your information stored, especially if you use that site frequently. But beware of this on lesser known websites.
Compare “real” prices. Make sure you know how much you will be charged for shipping and if there are taxes or fees that will be added to your online purchase. These ‘extras’ can add up quickly, so be sure to include them when comparing prices. Many retailers offer free shipping during the holidays, and others allow free in-store pickup of your online purchases – easy ways to add extra savings to your holiday purchases.
Learn about the Returns Policy. Please read the merchant’s return policy before making your purchase. One of the downsides to shopping online is the inability to ‘try it on’ or view the item before purchasing, so make sure your merchant offers you an easy way to return / refund your purchase if it is not what you expected.
Choose Credit, not Debit. If possible, use a credit card to pay for online purchases. Federal law limits your liability to $ 50 for fraud. Better yet, many credit card companies will waive this responsibility and offer advanced fraud detection and protection programs to keep you safe.
Be aware. If you shop a lot online, be sure to check your account and credit card statements regularly to verify all charges. If you have questions about a transaction or suspect fraud, call your financial institution immediately.
Save your receipts! As with in-store purchases, you’ll want to keep all your receipts for online purchases. You can choose to save e-mailed receipts on your computer or print and archive them with other receipts.
The bottom line! You can take advantage of the great Internet shopping opportunities and still have peace of mind!