How to be careful when purchasing online

Online shopping is not only interesting, but also exciting for both first time and regular shoppers. People prefer to shop online as they are able to get hold of almost all types of items here including unbelievable bargains. Shopping is also fast and secure, combined with easy returns. Online shopping is definitely convenient for consumers. 

But unfortunately, there are also plenty of scams and frauds taking place online. None-delivery and non-payment of purchased goods, along with phishing are few of the complaints received by the online crime complaint centers, across the globe. Around 25% of online shoppers also have experienced cyber attacks like credit card fraud, malware or ransomware. 

Inspite of all these the above issues, online shopping has only been increasing at a steady pace. If you are interested to do shopping, then following the given below basic guidelines can help you to shop confidently and without any hassle or worry. 

Tips to stay safe when shopping online

• Check out Lock: Avoid shopping from a site that is not having encryption installed secure sockets layer (SSL). You will find the site to start with HTTPS and a locked padlock icon will appear to the URL’s left side in address bar. Or down below the status bar, depending upon the browser used. They are completely safe. 
• Use only familiar sites: You better shop at any trusted site, as search results may pull up rigged ones. Every major outlet is likely to have an online store. Be wary of sites that use variety of top level domain or misspellings. The sites may offer enticing sales, but it is how shoppers are tricked to provide valuable info and get duped. 
• Avoid oversharing: Your birthday or Social Security number or other personal details will not be asked for by any online shopping e-tailer. If these details fall into wrong hands, then lots of damage might take place and your identity is likely to be stolen. Some major sites also get breached. 
• Inoculate the computer: Scammers do not wait for you to provide them with data. Rather, they provide you with some assistance to help with things. With regular updates made to the anti-virus program, malware can be kept at bay. It will be wise to purchase security suite with antivirus software to fight phishing emails, spam, and phishing attacks from sites. Update your anti-malware tools to prevent new threats from entering. 
• Check regularly your bank statements: Check out your debit card, checking account and credit card statements periodically. Look for fraudulent charges. It will be better to shop online using a credit card. There are chances of your debit card getting compromised, which will allow scammers to have direct access to all your bank details and funds. Sellers requesting for different payment types can be a red flag. For credit card payments, pay only the bill only after understanding clearly your charges. If any problem arises, then the card issuer or the bank can be notified within 30 days period. 

The above are just few of the ways by which you can stay protected against harm when shopping online.