Well, it’s that time of year again. As much as we love the holidays; the shopping, parties, and other activities can add allot of stress to our already busy lives. It can feel overwhelming. We all seem to be trying to find ways to save time and money so we can actually enjoy the holiday season. Like many others, I’m trying to lighten my load by doing much of my Christmas shopping online. It is a time saver and with all the great offers and free shipping available , it seems ridiculous not to. But because of the things I have seen working in this industry, there is always that underlying worry about the security of my personal and financial information. There will always be those opportunists that are so smart and cunning that you can never be 100% sure your information will be safe, but there are things we can do to make online shopping as secure as possible.
- Shop with well known reputable companies. There are so many E-commerce sites on the internet. With a well done website, a scam site can look genuine. It is very hard to determine who you’re dealing with. Stick with business names you know have been doing business for some time.
- Only shop on secure sites. When you have entered an area of a website where you give your personal and credit card information, make sure you the HTTP changes to HTTPS. The s is for secure or look for a padlock in the locked position in the right hand corner of the page.
- Always use a credit card, not a debit or bank card. You do not want to give hackers and scam artists access to your bank account. It is a very involved process to straiten it out once that happens. A credit card can be easily can canceled and reissued and most credit card companies only hold you responsible for the first 50 dollars of unauthorized transactions.
- If an offer is too good to be true, it probably is. Pricing may be great, but check out their shipping costs and return policies. You could end up paying more in the long run.
- Use your head. There is never a reason for an E-commerce site to ask for information such as your social security number. If you are shopping online and being asked for information that makes you feel uncomfortable, move along.