A lot reasons exist why online shopping is great. It's convenient. There are a lot of choices. Most of the bargain finds are there. Indeed, shopping has never been easier. But before you input your credit card details and reveal every information about your identity, are you sure that your information is safe? Yes, virtual shoppers are easy targets of phishing attacks and if you are not careful, you may be one of the victims. Don't panic however. There are simple ways to safely shop online:
Check if you are dealing with legitimate business. First, check out what other shoppers are saying, says Microsoft.com. There are sites like BizRate and Epinions.com that have pages featuring customer evaluations to help you determine whether a company is legal or not. Also, look for seals of approval, for instance that of Truste and Better Business Bureau Online. Only companies that abide by the said organizations' rigorous standards are allowed to put the seals on their websites.
Look for signs that the particular website protects your data. Do not buy anything online using your credit card is the site does not have secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption installed. This sounds very technical but you can easily know if the said feature is available on a site if its URL (the website address) starts with HTTPS:// instead of HTTP://. Another thing to look for is the locked padlock found at the bottom of your web browser or right next to your address bar.
Use your own PC. But if you don't own one, make sure to log out every time you are finished your transaction. And make sure to uncheck the option where the computer asks you whether to remember your password.
Understand why you need to provide your information. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you have to know how the particular website will use your information and whether or not they will share or sell it to others. That's the essence of the privacy policy of every consumer website. There should always be a privacy policy, for if none, it's a red flag for you, which means it's not a trusted site.
It pays to be skeptic at times. There are deals that are too good to be true. Beware of those. For instance, in an article Twelve Scams of Christmas found in McAfee.com, there's a coupon scam that offers iPad or any expensive gadget for every purchase of a coupon. This is a tempting offer, but would it be possible if it were not one of those phishing expeditions?
Online shopping is a great experience, but only if you deal with reputable and legitimate businesses. As in the real world, there are swindlers and fraudsters, in the virtual world, there are scammers and identity thieves and if you are not cautious of your transactions, you might be victims of those. Be mindful of these tips even when you're shopping on your smartphone. Get the best deals on smartphones with Straight Talk coupon code.
Check if you are dealing with legitimate business. First, check out what other shoppers are saying, says Microsoft.com. There are sites like BizRate and Epinions.com that have pages featuring customer evaluations to help you determine whether a company is legal or not. Also, look for seals of approval, for instance that of Truste and Better Business Bureau Online. Only companies that abide by the said organizations' rigorous standards are allowed to put the seals on their websites.
Look for signs that the particular website protects your data. Do not buy anything online using your credit card is the site does not have secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption installed. This sounds very technical but you can easily know if the said feature is available on a site if its URL (the website address) starts with HTTPS:// instead of HTTP://. Another thing to look for is the locked padlock found at the bottom of your web browser or right next to your address bar.
Use your own PC. But if you don't own one, make sure to log out every time you are finished your transaction. And make sure to uncheck the option where the computer asks you whether to remember your password.
Understand why you need to provide your information. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you have to know how the particular website will use your information and whether or not they will share or sell it to others. That's the essence of the privacy policy of every consumer website. There should always be a privacy policy, for if none, it's a red flag for you, which means it's not a trusted site.
It pays to be skeptic at times. There are deals that are too good to be true. Beware of those. For instance, in an article Twelve Scams of Christmas found in McAfee.com, there's a coupon scam that offers iPad or any expensive gadget for every purchase of a coupon. This is a tempting offer, but would it be possible if it were not one of those phishing expeditions?
Online shopping is a great experience, but only if you deal with reputable and legitimate businesses. As in the real world, there are swindlers and fraudsters, in the virtual world, there are scammers and identity thieves and if you are not cautious of your transactions, you might be victims of those. Be mindful of these tips even when you're shopping on your smartphone. Get the best deals on smartphones with Straight Talk coupon code.
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