Shop Safely Online with These 4 Tips

Shopping online is one of the greatest things that the 21st century provides us. You can get anything from anywhere sent to your doorstep by simply clicking a few buttons, but it’s actually not as easy as it sounds. There are a lot of ways you can get scammed online, but you can avoid them without putting much effort into it by following these simple tips.

  1. Use trusted websites. There are many great websites out there, such as eBay or Amazon for anything you need. They will provide you with most of the things that you require and they will guarantee your safety. They have a long-lasting positive reputation so you can be sure that you’re not getting scammed. Unless there’s no other way, we recommend that you avoid fishy looking websites even if they offer you a better price unless you’re willing to do some research to verify if they’re genuine.
  1. Look them up. If it’s a trusted website, and we’re not talking about big websites mentioned above, it will most likely have it’s own Facebook page or at least a Twitter account. If the Facebook or twitter page is filled with good reviews it’s probably safe. Reviews are your best friend here, but be on a lookout for fake reviews as they might have paid someone to do it. If they have no social media and no way to know about their legitimacy, a quick Google search can help you solve this problem. Look for information about their website throughout different forums and you will soon know whether they’re trying to scam you or they’re just giving you a better deal.
  1. Don’t give out your information. This might sound obvious to some of you, but there were countless incidents relating people posting their credit cards online. Some cyber-thieves are spending their days looking for Instagram pictures with credit card info and then spend all their money on worthless stuff. Never give any passwords, credit card details to anyone, unless you’re making a purchase. Online shops only need a few details to bill you, so there’s no need to post your date of birth or social security number because it might be a scam that will leave your wallet empty.buyer protection
  1. Pay with buyer protection. Consider paying with credit cards or electronic wallets such as PayPal as it can save you from a big headache after you get scammed. All these options will let you get a simple chargeback if you’re unsatisfied with the services you were provided. This also works if you received a product that was damaged or misplaced so it’s really worth the time. A chargeback will simply reverse a transaction that you made and leave the scammer empty handed and you will avoid losing your money and your time.