Be Safe When Shopping Online

Shopping carries risk whether you are shopping in the mall, on Main Street or online, but fortunately in all cases, as long as you take simple precautions you are usually very safe. Online shoppers never need to worry about parking, traffic accidents, pickpockets, muggers and thieves nor catching a bout of swine flu from a fellow shopper with the sniffles! Online shoppers do have to take some precautions though, and in this brief article we shall look at some of the issues and how you can protect yourself while enjoying your online shopping experience.

Protect Your Computer

The first thing to be aware of is the protection state of your computer. Your computer can be the victim of cyber-attacks which plant malicious code on your machine without you knowing it, and a keylogger can capture every keystroke you make – including your banking and other password information. You must protect your computer from this kind of attack before you can safely use it for sharing your personal and financial information with anyone over the web. Many computers come with trial subscriptions to high grade security software and there are even some programs available for free if you spend enough time searching for them – best to take advice from an expert on this.

Know Your Seller

Do you know the retailer you are thinking of doing business with? If the answer is “Yes” then you can take an extra degree of confidence; almost all major retailers have an online presence and you can expect the same standards of quality and service from their online channels as from their bricks and mortar retail outlets.

If you do not know the retailer, then this is not a deal breaker but you should take extra care that you are dealing with a bona fide merchant and not someone passing themselves off in order to get your credit card information. Check out the About Us page of the website, and check the merchant does exist – if they have a telephone number, call them and speak to them before you place your order. Check online reviews for the merchant to see how their products and customer service stand up to scrutiny too – there is a wealth of information available as you probably already are aware.

Pay with Plastic

Paying by a credit card gives you an additional layer of fraud protection. Credit card companies can “charge back” to merchants in situations where a charge has been wrongly or fraudulently made against your credit card. Credit card companies also frequently provide extended warranties and insurance to protect you from products gone bad or theft or damage. You may be liable for the first $50 of liability using a credit card, but in practice, most credit card providers waive this.

Do not pay with your bank account by a transfer or bill pay unless you are absolutely sure this is a reputable merchant to do business with. This information, such as your checking account number and routing codes, can give a criminal direct access to your bank account. Never provide any merchant with your social security number!

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