Secure Shopping Online
With our grueling work schedules we hardly get time to shop for ourselves and the holiday season demands loads of shopping for one’s own self, family and friends. Thus, we find console in shopping from the retail marts of the World Wide Web. Plus it is a great way of finding cost effective deals and because of this, the trend of online shopping is fast becoming accepted and incorporated by many worldwide.
However, one the most growing concerns of the people who want to shop online is the issue of their personal information security. However, there are certain very simple steps that one can intake in order to curb the chances of becoming a victim to the many cybercrimes. Make sure to visit the government backed websites that help in providing the safest and the latest browsers with built in filters to identify pseudo websites.
Another best tool to equip your computer systems to aid safe online shopping is the use of anti-viruses and firewalls that are updated on regular basis. These softwares automatically scan links to pinpoint the scammer sites and allow the shopper to check the validity of the shopping sites. Check if the company you are paying to, against the online order has a secure, encrypted connection by locating a small padlock icon in your browser window. Also make sure that the websites you are visiting have https before the actual URL.
As a shopping ritual make sure to check the sites on which you intend to shop to find out the date they were last updated on, in case they were updated long ago, refrain from shopping from that website. The reason for this is pretty logical; old website may not have the necessary security tools and updates to ensure a safe shopping experience, as they were not updated regularly to match the pace at which the cybercrimes are rising.
Also, make sure to shop from websites that list contact options like email, physical address and telephone numbers. If possible make a call or visit the office once, to be sure of the validity of the company you plan to shop from. In case of having a telephonic conversation with the supplier, make sure to ask random questions and note their response time and quality, in case the suppliers or the company representative is thorough in his knowledge, the chances of online scam would be low.
When concluding the order that you have placed, go through the details of the order carefully before finalizing the order. Double check the prices, dates of delivery and ordering, item order number, item name, quantity etc. and leave no room for error. Remember, smart shoppers outsmart hackers and phishers every day.