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Online shopping confessions
Every year I sit down in front of my computer, a mouse in one hand and a credit card in the other as I start my yearly ritual – Christmas Shopping.
Online Shopping you ask? Why not? I can visit more online shops in two hours than I could physically get to in an entire day and suddenly a chore becomes a breeze. There are no excruciatingly long lines to the cash register, no crowds, and no parking nightmares…
But the truth is, online shopping can turn into a disaster, as I found out one day when I received “the call” from my credit card provider. “Had I purchased any electronic gear in the last couple of days?” No. But someone else was – armed with a copy of my credit card details. The charges had been made in six different transactions totaling $14,365. I felt sick…
Even though my bank started the investigation and assured me that my money would be refunded within a month, the amount of stress I suffered during the ordeal taught me a valuable lesson about the need for quality security software and diligence on my own part when shopping online. Shortly after the incident and keen to prevent this sort of thing happening to me again I did my research on how to safely shop on the internet. Here are some tips which can prevent you from facing the same problem:
1. Use web browser protection and install comprehensive security software which has real-time and browser protection.
2. Check out the website’s refund and returns policies, privacy policy and legal notices.
3. Be wise about clicking on links in emails from online retailers, as they may be easily forged by cybercriminals. Make sure you have a powerful spam filter that detects suspicious emails.
4. Using your browser, view the site’s security certificate and verify that it is issued and registered to the web site you intended.
5. Don’t give out too many details. Online retailers should only require your basic contact details (e.g. name, billing address and contact number) and card details in order to process a credit/debit card payment.
6. Keep records of the transaction, including the product description, price and the receipt of payment.
You can read more detailed descriptions by clicking on this link.
I will still shop online but I’m much savvier about it now.
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