How to shop online safely

November 5, 2009 by

Buying online is fast, easy and convenient. It saves time and more often than not, money.

However, as with all things, there are risks associated with online shopping and you need to be aware of these in order to protect yourself.

What are the most common risks of shopping online?

The most common risk when shopping online is unknowingly giving away your credit card details or your personal information. There are 2 things you can do right away that will greatly reduce the risk of either of those things happening.

What you can do to protect yourself when shopping online

If you use Windows, make sure you have a good anti virus running on your system. This will stop most types of spyware and applications that record your keystrokes (sometimes known as Trojans).
Don’t purchase items from websites that you don’t trust or that you can’t verify. Remember that a website can be a ‘front’ for a scam network. The website could be hosted on any country and have a ‘fake’ shopping cart into which you enter your credit card details.

What to look for and where to find it

AntiVirus
If you need an antivirus, AVG offer a great program that’s free to run for personal use. Click here to download it Run the software on your system and make sure you’re squeaky clean before you start shopping online.

Choosing secure websites to buy from
When buying online, make sure you look for certification on the website that certifies the site to be trustworthy and protected. Don’t trust any certificate: instead, make sure it’s provided by a well-known company, such as Verisign or GeoTrust.

When buying from an unknown website, look for other signs of security on the page. Look also at how your payment details will be processed. Always use trusted credit card processors like PayPal and Google Checkout – or something that is widely recognised.

The screenshot below shows you how Modern Style Rugs have implemented various security measures to ensure that rug shoppers are protected when making their purchases.

security

When it comes to online security, if in doubt, move on. Look for the correct certification (see image above) before you make your purchases and keep your system up to date with a good anti virus and you’ll greatly reduce the risk of online shopping.