5 Tips for Secure and Smart Online Shopping

Online shopping is fast and convenient and offers an excellent way to find bargains and compare prices.

But, as its popularity continues to grow, so do the risks, with scammers ready to steal your hard-earned money or raid your card details. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center notes that most cyber crimes of 2019 in the 50 states evaluated had something to do with online shopping: non-delivery of goods purchased or non-payment.

While these stats are somewhat alarming, nothing should deter you from shopping online. You just need to follow some tips to stay safe during online shopping, and get great deals while at it.

Use Secure Network when Shopping

The first thing you should do when online shopping is to ensure you are using a secure network. Avoid connecting to free public Wi-Fi in airports, coffee shops, and restaurants to use internet banking, shop online, or do anything that requires you to enter personal information.

Public Wi-Fi is unencrypted, and therefore unsecured. By using these networks, you are making yourself vulnerable to hacking and other cybercriminals. If you have to use these networks, make sure you use a Virtual Private Network to secure traffic.

Use Familiar Websites

We all know that Amazon.com offers everything under the sun. Similarly, just about every big retail store has an online shop, from Home Depot, to Target, to Best Buy.

Take note of the misspellings or websites that use a different high-level domain, for instance, .net instead of .com. The sales on these websites might look attractive, but that’s how they dupe you into giving them your info.

Shop from a Secure Website

Never input your credit card details on a site that lacks SSL (secure sockets layer) certification. Ensure the site’s URL starts with HTTPS: and not just HTTP. Also, check for a padlock symbol on the URL’s left side in the site’s address bar or status bar, depending on the browser you are using. HTTPS is standard even on non-shopping sites; even Google flags any site without the additional S as “not secure.” This should make it easier for you to spot such sites.

As mentioned above, online shopping makes it easy to compare prices and land great deals. Here are some money-saving tips to consider.

Automatically Find Discounts

Plugins such as Pouch and Honey automatically collect voucher codes that are allowed on the site you are shopping on and notifies you of what you can save.

Also Read: How to Identify Your Most Important eCommerce Competitors

Sign up for Newsletters

Online merchants are always eager to include you on their mailing list so that they may offer some form of incentive to those who sign up for their newsletter. For instance, Gap gives you a 20% discount off full-price when you sign up.

Even if a merchant doesn’t offer incentives, newsletters are still a perfect way to stay in the know about store events, sales, and other offers that may benefit you. To avoid your inbox being flooded with advertisement emails, you can set up a separate email address to manage them.

Conclusion

Shopping online has become increasingly popular, but it has its challenges, especially cybersecurity threats, overpricing by some merchants, and much more. However, the eCommerce industry keeps growing in leaps and bounds, and for a good reason. It is fast and convenient; you only need a computer or smartphone, and an internet connection and boom! Your shopping will be at your doorstep. Despite the many challenges that come with online shopping, you don’t have to give up this luxury for anything in the world. By following the above tips and doing some due diligence, you can protect yourself while shopping online and save some bucks while at it.