Identity theft and Security Bridge is the order of these modern times. Online shopping is getting risky by the day and consumers should be very careful in other not to be victims of internet fraud. There are well researched and authenticated ways to avoid common online shopping mistakes. These solutions are quite easy, if only users can be a little more careful.
One of the ways we can avoid online shopping mistake is by making sure that personal information are not entered into a pop-up screen. Most of these pop-screens are unauthorized and are crafted by identity thieves. The screens are mostly unrelated to the website you have visited. Note that no legitimate company will request you to fill your personal or financial information through a pop-up screen.
Ensure that the website you want to shop from has a privacy policy. Check it and read through, to ensure that your personal or financial information are private to the web merchant and they do not intend to sell or transfer your data to a third party.
Make sure that you use original software and not pirated software. This is necessary before you venture into purchasing anything online. This software must include firewalls, anti-spyware and anti-virus.
Another problem is that consumers fail to scan or read through everything on a merchant’s site. We are always very eager to tick the box that says, I agree to all this terms without really having knowledge of what this term says. It is worth waiting for just the 5 to 10 minutes needed to read the terms of service before committing your credit card details. Although it might appear too long and tiring to read the uninteresting legal terms. However, you can list some basic questions that are very important and go to the sections the terms of service that answer each of the questions you have laid down. Questions like:
- Does the company have a return policy?
- Who bears the payment for return shipping?
- What is the company’s order cancellation policy?
- Where is the location of the company?
- Is there any fee attached to restocking?
- Will refund be issued; by Cheque, by cash, or by store credit?
Ensure that the merchant is a legitimate company, a simply way to verify is by visiting www.whois.net this website tells you the organization or the individual that have registered the website with their physical address.
Also note that no merchant will send you an email requesting you to confirm your recent transaction on any site you have shopped. Do not respond to such mails, they are phishing scam that is sent to you coincidentally around the same time you were shopping.
It as also been researched that debit cards do not have the same level of security that credit cards possess. If a debit card is hacked, hackers or phishers can have access to all of your accounts (checking and/or savings). So endeavour not to use a debit card for your transactions online always. Have a specific credit card that you only use for online shopping. This way, you will be protected by the Federal Fair Credit Billing Act. This act gives you the right to withheld payment when you feel that your card has been used in an unauthorized way until creditor investigation is over. But a debit card does not give you such right. Online shopping is cost effective and convenient but care must be taken in other not to lose your earned money.
Always look for discounts when you shop something. Use dryrobe discount code for discounts on men apparel. Try soapery discount code for amazing deals on skin care.