The holidays are just around the corner, and with them come traditional headaches on what to buy for friends and family. Shops filled with endless queues, lack of time … These factors cause more and more people to decide to make their purchases online.
The convenience of being able to do that from home, at any time, together with the possibility to compare several prices from different sites make shopping online a very attractive method to get rid of the typical holiday stress. But do we know how to purchase online safely?
7 Tips to Buying Online Safely
1. Use a Secure WiFi or Internet Connection
Although it is comfortable and easy to browse and buy through public networks, malls or stores, the truth is that these networks are often unreliable. The information packets transmitted over public connections can be captured easily by hackers and cybercriminals. For this reason, to make purchases or transactions in which you transfer personal information, we recommend that you go through a secure network.
2. Keep Your Computer Updated and Protected
Online shopping is one of the processes in which more personal and dangerous information is transferred. For that reason, before you start shopping, make sure you have your computer secure, updated and equipped with a good antivirus product.
3. Buy on Known and Reputable Websites
Searching the internet for the best offers can take you to the unknown and unreliable. Stay away from them. Check that the URL of the web site matches where you think it is, and that its address begins with https. Shopping at trusted and reputable websites can avoid becoming a victim of identity theft or data.
4. Find and Review Privacy and Return Policies
Before buying from an online store, make sure that their Privacy Policy is easily located on the site and up to date. Do you know what to do if your gift is not right? How can you return it? These are also aspects to consider when choosing where to shop.
5. Only Share Personal Information that is Necessary and Only on A Secure Form
If it surprises you that they ask you for some personal information (mobile, relatives’ name, place of birth …) to carry out the purchase, do not do it and it check that you are in the correct place. In addition, tools such as the virtual keyboard of Panda Security can avoid data theft if your computer is infected with some virus spyware.
6. Avoid Links in Emails and Ads
Is the offer you just received in an email too good to be true? Then, it probably is. During this time of year, e-mails and ads with offers and big discounts are a tool widely used by cybercriminals. Avoid phishing.
7. Periodically Check Your Credit Card Transactions
After making several purchases online, check that all charges on your account are known and controlled. If you find any suspicious activity, contact your bank, maybe you’ve been a victim of identity theft.
Do you enjoy doing your holiday shopping online?