By Many of us will shop online in search of great deals for Christmas. Unfortunately, cyber criminals will be active as well, creating fake shopping websites and using other tactics to scam people. This article provides some guidance on how to shop online safely and avoid becoming a victim.
Fake Online Stores mimic the look and feel of genuine sites, or use famous brand names at heavily discounted prices to entice you. If you purchase from these, you may end up with stolen or counterfeit goods, or even nothing more than an empty wallet!
Use the following steps to help protect yourself:
- Purchase from online stores you already know and trust, and bookmark the site.
- Beware of very low prices. If it sounds too good to be true, it is probably fake.
- Beware of “lookalike” domain names, particularly if searching via Google, etc. These can be artificially promoted in the results list, so manually type the address or use a bookmarked link you know is safe.
- Google the store name / vendor to see if it has a poor reputation.
- Use a unique password for each account, and use a password manager to record them.
- Pay by credit card where possible – it’s much easier to get your money back if it all goes wrong. Alternatively use PayPal, which does not require you to reveal card details to the retailer.
- Regularly review card statements to look for suspicious payments.
And Finally…………….
Just because an online store has a well-designed, professional look does not mean it’s legitimate. If the website makes you uncomfortable, don’t use it. Instead, head to a well-known site you can trust or have safely used in the past. You may not find that incredible deal, but you are much more likely to end up with a legitimate product and avoid getting scammed.