The Importance of Online Shopping Safety This Holiday Season
With the Holiday Season upon us, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here. Online shopping is at its peak for the year. Unfortunately, this means scammers are working overtime to intercept your bank card and bank account information. Now is the time to be vigilant against online scams and fraudsters.
What steps can you take to ensure your Safety?
Online Shopping Safety Tips
- As with any purchase, be sure you are using trusted and known merchants and online shopping websites. If the site and or the merchant is unfamiliar to you or your company, you may need to further research to establish credibility.
- It is important not to share or provide your bank account or bank card information to an unknown party. If a website or merchant appears suspicious, do not enter your personal or payment information.
- Verify the company or merchant’s shipping terms before making purchases. Are there additional fees, such as shipping and handling? How large are these fees? Do they provide shipment tracking? How quickly are items shipped out? This information is essential to know before you buy.
- Always be wary of a deal that seems too good to be true, there’s a good chance it probably is. If shopping sites or vendors offer prices much lower than others, this should pose a red flag and raise questions on the legitimacy.
- Lastly, many scammers like to mimic merchants and online shops by spoofing a website that looks identical to the real one. To combat this, you should check the spelling of the link in your browser and use secure websites with HTTPS:// in the link.
Reduce your chances of becoming a victim of online fraud by following these simple guidelines so you can enjoy a safe and worry-free online shopping experience during the holiday season.
