Shop Online Safely

Online retail has made shopping easier than ever, but it has also increased the likelihood of your private information ending up in the hands of the wrong person. The security of online purchases has advanced with the pace of online sales. However, you will need to do a bit of due diligence to protect your personal information.

Steps

Keeping Your Information Safe

  1. Use a credit card with online fraud protection. Many cards will return your money if you are defrauded. Contact your bank or credit card provider to determine if your card has such protections. If not, try to find one that does offer insurance for online purchases.[1]
    • Credit cards are more likely to offer fraud protection than debit cards.
    • Some banks offer “single-use” credit card numbers. These can be used for only one purchase so that, even if your information is compromised, it can’t be used again. Ask your bank if this is an option.[1]
  2. Record purchase details. After making a purchase, always record the details of the time, date, receipt number, and order confirmation. If you cannot print one off, take a screenshot as proof of purchase.
  3. Check your statements regularly. When shopping online, check your credit and debit card statements frequently. Watch for suspicious charges and check charges against your records. Call your bank or credit card company immediately if you see anything suspicious.[2]
  4. Never give out excessive information. An online purchase should only require credit card information, address, and phone number. If the website is also asking for your social security number, you should be suspicious. This information can be used to steal your identity and should be unnecessary for an online purchase.[2]
  5. Scan for malware. Malware programs that are downloaded online can monitor your keystrokes and pick up your account information even from secure websites. Download programs like Ad-Aware to scan for malware. Don’t download information from sites you aren’t familiar with. Be wary about clicking on links in viral emails.[2]
    • Also, update your operating system frequently. Sometimes operating system updates will provide important protection from security threats.[1]
  6. Use difficult passwords. If your passwords aren’t well designed, a hacker can guess them and use saved account information to order products. Try to use different passwords for each website and avoid common words.
    • Refrain from using common words as passwords or information that has personal significance a hacker could figure out, including a birthplaces or anniversaries.[3]
    • This also applies to start up passwords for your computer and cellphone. If your information is saved on your hardware, someone who takes your phone or computer can use them to make purchases. Be sure that all your hardware is password protected and will go to a security screen if left unattended for a few minutes.
  7. Avoid making purchases in public. Do not buy anything on public computers, including those available at libraries. If you do, your private information will be saved where others can access it. You should even be careful about making a purchase with your own laptop in a public place. Someone might see you input your data or be able to get information from a shared Wi-Fi connection.[4]
    • If you must make a purchase in public, using cellphone data is more secure than a public Wi-Fi connection. Consider downloading the retailers’ app to make the purchase.[1]

Finding a Secure Website

  1. Shop with established companies. Establish that the website you are working with is real. An easy way to do this is to shop with well-known businesses that you are familiar with. Some scams will pretend to be big box stores, so check the domain names carefully to ensure that it is the correct website.[5]
    • Check the web address to verify that there are no misspellings, like “Equifacks" instead of “Equifax.”
    • Fake websites will also replace a “.com” with a “.net.” Check the website carefully for these errors.
    • Today most major chains with physical locations have parallel websites. These retailers should be reliable.
  2. Research the identity, location, and contact details of less familiar retailers. It is important to establish the identity of online retailers that you are not familiar with. Search the website for an email address, postal address, and telephone number. You should be suspicious if this information is not readily available.[6]
    • Scams artists are unlikely to publish their addresses or phone numbers, because it makes them easier to trace. Any reputable company should at least have a helpline. If you are uncertain about a website, call the helpline and see if you get a response.
  3. Research the company's reputation. Research the company's ranking through the Better Business Bureau. Look online for reviews of the website, but be suspicious if the reviews are too glowing; some frauds promote fake reviews to lure in unsuspecting victims.[1]
  4. Avoid purchases with unclear terms and conditions. The retailer should be able to provide a clear price for the product you are purchasing, including shipping. The retailer should also be able to tell you what exactly you will get in return.
    • Avoid, for example, online deals that promise a chance to win something if you make repeated subscription payments.[7]
  5. Read the site's privacy policy. Reputable companies will have a public page on their “privacy policy.” Research this to determine whether the company uses your information for something other than the purchase. Many businesses, for example, will use it to email you with updates or deals. Some might pass your information to third parties.[8]
    • Even most legitimate online retailers will use your information to “spam” you with advertisements. You need to decide for yourself whether that is something you are willing to live with.
  6. Only make purchases on secure websites. Do not make purchases on websites that don't have Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. To check that your website has SSL:
    • Look for a padlock symbol in your browser address bar. A closed padlock should appear when you enter into a website with SSL.[5]
    • The first letters in the address bar should change from “http” to “https.” Typically this will not happen until you reach the payment stage[9]
    • An unbroken key may also be present on a secure website.[10]
  7. Install a phishing filter. If you are having trouble distinguishing bad and good websites, use an online phishing filter. There are various phishing filters, like SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer, that will warn you when they detect a questionable website. SmartScreen comes standard with most new Microsoft computers.[11]
  8. Keep yourself informed about scams. Emails and social network notifications, some of which appear to be from well-known companies, are circulated around the internet to “phish” for your private information. Legitimate companies, including banks, will never send you an email with a link requesting your login, password, or credit card details.
    • Be suspicious of any unsolicited advertisements that seem to promise too much. If someone, for example, is offering you a free tablet, chances are that they are not legitimate.[4]
    • If the deal is supposedly offered through a major retailer, go directly through the retailers’ website rather than following the link in the advertisement.
    • Popular scams will often be discussed on the news. Watch the news to keep abreast of current security threats.


Tips

  • Take advantage of one-time-use virtual credit cards offered by some card issuers.
  • An increasing number of online stores now request a CVV or card verification number when making a purchase. The CVV code is the small code shown on the signature bar on the back of your card. Normally the last 3 digits of the code are required. This is to prevent someone who has managed to get your name; card number and expiration date from being able to make purchases using your card.
  • If you are buying from another country, research the currency that you are paying in, exchange rates and the possibility of sales duties or taxes being levied on your purchase when it reaches you. Also, be sure that what you purchase from another country is legal in your country.
  • Never send your credit card details through non-secure online methods such as via email. Such methods will offer little protection.
  • Credit cards tend to offer more protection than debit cards as they don't directly remove funds from your own bank account.

Warnings

  • Don't buy from retailers who will not give out their contact details or who do not give you satisfactory responses to your queries.
  • Never allow open-ended credit charges. Always agree on the total that is going to be on your credit card.
  • Never share your credit card information via email.
  • If your internet certification process warns you to be careful of a site that might be falsely taking your confidential details, take heed.
  • If you receive suspicious emails, do not open them or click on any of the links.
  • Alert your local police, consumer watchdog, and/or relevant chamber of commerce to websites failing to deliver what they promise or not using secure credit card processing so they can warn others.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-shop-online-safely/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373130,00.asp
  3. ↑ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368484,00.asp
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373131,00.asp
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373130,00.asp
  6. ↑ https://www.privacyrights.org/consumer-guides/online-shopping-tips
  7. ↑ https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0060-10-things-you-can-do-avoid-fraud
  8. ↑ https://www.privacyrights.org/consumer-guides/online-shopping-tips#dynamic
  9. ↑ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373130,00.asp]
  10. ↑ Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Fact Sheet 23: Online Shopping Tips
  11. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/930168/how-to-turn-the-internet-explorer-phishing-filter-or-the-smartscreen-filter-on-or-off
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