Extreme Trix

In spite of developing technologies designed to safeguard user privacy and security while online, websites continue to be compromised and many computer users are afraid to purchase from online stores. No one will deny that risks lurk online, but by acting sensibly, you can still enjoy the rewarding experience of online shopping. Here are 10 tips that will help you be safe and secure while buying online.

1. Pay attention to how you pay: By utilizing payment tools like PayPal, you can protect yourself from having to give out your credit card information to merchant websites. You can still fund your purchases with your credit card, but fewer digital eyes will be watching.
2. Avoid paying for online purchases with money orders or cash: You might be able to get a better price for an item on the Web if you pay with a money order, but you have to be prepared to lose your money since you won’t have any means to get your money back should you never receive the products or services you ordered from the merchant.
3. Shop only on secure websites: While many legitimate companies may operate without a secure site to save money, you should only make financial transactions from sites that have SSL security. Usually you can tell if you’re on a secured site if you see a padlock icon in your browser or if the address in your browser’s address bar begins with “https.” A secured site will encrypt communications between your computer and the merchant site, making it difficult for anyone to intercept your information.
4. Beware of scam and imitation sites: Scammers will build sites that look like major retailers to trick you into sending in your personal information. Again, look in your address bar and make sure that the address matches the store where you are shopping. If in doubt, either call the store or go somewhere else.
5. Buy only from online stores that post contact information and policies: Most of the time, reputable credit card processing agents require a merchant to post contact information and sales, shipping, return, and privacy policies on their site. If you don’t see this information, proceed with caution. Some companies don’t want a lot of phone calls and they don’t want customers coming to their office, but keeping their whereabouts secret keeps you in the dark should questions with your order arise.
6. Watch out for shipping and handling fees: Oftentimes an online retailer will post low prices, but will slam you on shipping and handling fees, making their items more expensive. Protect yourself from this kind of fraud by viewing a merchant’s shipping and handling policy prior to ordering.
7. Avoid using your debit card for online purchases: Most debit cards are linked to a bank account, so if your information gets in the wrong hands, you could be left penniless while trying to get the issue resolved.
8. Don’t buy from unsolicited email: Sometimes email will look like it’s coming from a reputable source, but they are actually scams. If a great deal from a store you know shows up in your inbox, be careful before clicking on any of its links.
9. Buy from stores that are in your country: It’s really nice that people can sell internationally with ease, but buying from a seller outside your country leaves you open to loss. Laws inside your country can serve to protect you from being ripped off, but you have little recourse should you be exploited by an international entity.
10. Keep records: Print out your order and order confirmation as well as any email correspondence with a seller. You could even print out the product image and description for the things you ordered. This way you have documentation should the item you receive not match the item you ordered.

As more business is done online, more scammers will be out there trying to make a buck. If you proceed with healthy caution, you will find that you can shop safely, securely, and simply by exercising reasonable caution as described above.

[This post was written by Tom Walker, a writer and editor who works with a Manchester, England online ecommerce store offering deals on HP 363 ink and other supplies. He maintains their design blog . If you too would like to write for Extreme Trix or any other blog in our network and get paid per post, join now!]

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