Online shopping is one of the most convenient inventions of our time. You can easily browse the latest items in your favorite stores and make purchases with a simple click of your mouse or a tap on your screen. However, with the ease of online shopping comes security risks, too.
These risks can compromise your private information, including bank account and credit card details, addresses, contact numbers, and more. The Federal Trade Commission reported that identity theft cases more than doubled in 2020, showing that the pandemic has only made users more vulnerable to these threats.
Scams and identity thieves make the shopping experience unnecessarily stressful. Here are some of the best ways to avoid falling victim to these schemes.
Safe Shopping Practices for You
Many malicious people prey on unknowing online shoppers. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prioritize safety while shopping online.
- Avoid using your debit card to make online purchases.
Using your debit card to buy things on unverified websites may expose you to cybercriminals that could gain access to the money in your bank account. Opt to use a credit card instead to prevent this.
Credit card transactions are covered by the Fair Credit Billing Act, which protects consumers from fraudulent credit practices. Aside from fraud, the law also gives consumers the opportunity to raise concerns about billing errors.
One good alternative to a credit card is a digital prepaid card that you can just load your desired amount into. These cards are independent of your debit and credit accounts, which reduces the possibility of malicious individuals tracing your personal information from them.
- Shop on verified websites only.
Be careful where you go shopping. Many schemes today use domains similar to those of popular online stores, sometimes even mimicking website layouts. These tricks fool shoppers into providing personal information and bank details to scammers who use these for their own gain.
Always check the website name you have entered on your browser before visiting. Better yet, bookmark your trusted online shops so that you will have no chance of getting domain names wrong.
- Double check online offers before clicking.
Have you ever seen an ad, whether on social media or websites you visit, that just felt too good to be true? That is usually because it is. These ads thrive on the curiosity of people to steal money, information, or even both.
You shouldn’t just be wary of ads, though. Clickbait deals are aplenty, even in emails and private messages. Verify the credibility of these offers by checking the email address or username of the sender. Mark these as spam or delete them to filter these types of messages in the future.
- Keep a record of your purchases.
Whenever you purchase something online, keep tabs on the process it is undertaking. Note your order and tracking numbers to check on its progress daily. If there have been no updates to the status of your order for days, inquire about issues with your courier. Take screenshots of receipts or have these emailed to you, too, so you have a copy of them.
Secure Your Accounts
It would be best if you also took extra precautions to protect your personal accounts from getting hijacked.
- Never use public Wi-Fi on your devices.
Public Wi-Fi is free and convenient, but it also poses many dangers. Wi-Fi networks in malls, coffee shops, restaurants, and more are unprotected, making the devices connected to them highly vulnerable to hacking and information theft. If you can, avoid using public Wi-Fi entirely, especially when you are shopping online.
If you need to use public Wi-Fi, only do so while using a VPN. A VPN masks your device’s presence on the server, barring others from spying on your network and stealing your information while browsing.
- Safeguard your home computer.
There are many ways to protect information stored and entered into the devices you use at home. One is to use antivirus software that lets you browse the internet safely and warns you from visiting suspicious sites.
You should also add layers of security to your online accounts by only using strong passwords. Enable multi-factor authentication, too, so that you can verify every login attempt through another registered device.
Conclusion
While online shopping does offer a brand-new set of challenges for this generation of internet users, there are many precautions you can take to ensure your cybersafety. Scams hurt so many citizens annually, so play a part in helping eliminate these by reporting suspicious behavior when you notice it.
