For many of us, online shopping has become a regular part of our lives, mainly because it is so convenient. But while online shopping provides you with a high level of convenience, it also may provide cybercriminals with access to your information through various online scams.
The good news is that with a little bit of awareness and education, you can easily enjoy the convenience of shopping online.
Tips for Safe Online Shopping
Online shopping can be a fun, convenient, and safe activity if you take a few a few steps to protect yourself. Follow these tips to help you have the best online shopping experience possible.
When Making a Purchase
• Don’t shop at a site if you’re not comfortable—If you feel that the site may not be secure, you’re probably right.
• Never click on links from spam emails to make purchases—Don’t click on a link in an email from someone you don’t know, or buy on a site advertised in a spam email.
• Check the web address to make sure you are on the correct website—Once you arrive at a site, you need to make sure that it is legitimate and not a fake site.
• Check that the site is secure—Look for a security seal, such as the McAfee® SECURE™ trustmark, indicating that the site has been scanned and verified as secure by a trusted third party. This security seal indicates that the site will help protect you from identity theft, credit card fraud, spam, and other malicious threats. In addition, check to see if the site uses encryption—or scrambling—when transmitting information over the Internet by looking for a lock symbol on the page and checking to make sure that the web address starts with https:// instead of http://, which indicates that the transaction is secure.Use only a secure connection when you place your order.
• Use a credit card for payment—Credit cards on the whole offer better protection against fraud than debit cards.
• Do not use a public computer to shop online—If you are using a public computer, strangers may be able to access your browsing history and even your login information. To protect yourself, do all of your online shopping from your secure home computer.
• Use only a secure connection when you place your order.—Never shop using an unsecured wireless network because hackers can access your payment information if the network is not protected. You also want to make sure that your computer is protected with comprehensive and up-to-date security software such as Verizon Internet Security Suite Powered by McAfee, which will safeguard you from viruses, spyware, and other unknown online threats.
• Use strong passwords—Choose passwords that are difficult to guess and that are at least ten characters long consisting of a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols.
