Over the last few decades, online shopping has gone from a niche activity to a mainstream one. According to recent polling, around 89% of people in the UK make at least one online purchase every year. When we focus on 25-34 year-olds, the figure rises to more than 91%.
Given the prevalence of online shopping, it should be unsurprising that criminals often target both retailers and customers. If you want to minimise your risk, therefore, it’s worth taking a few simple precautions.
Shop on Trusted Websites
The simplest way to stay safe is to stick to the retailers that you’re truly familiar with. Be wary of new websites, especially if you’ve been drawn to them by a hyperlink on a news site. Often, scammers impersonate reputable sites to harvest passwords, so make sure that you check the URL is the genuine one. It’s also worth confirming that the connection is secure. This is indicated, on most browsers, by a small padlock symbol beside the address bar.
Use Secure Payment Methods
Debit cards are a convenient way to pay for things using your current account. But they’re not quite as resilient as other payment methods, like credit cards and trusted services like Payoneer and PayPal.
Credit cards, in particular, are useful in that they come with built-in insurance and protection against fraud. If the business you’re shopping with happens to declare bankruptcy before shipping your order, you’ll stand a better chance of getting your money back.
Whatever your preferred payment method, you mustn’t give your payment details away via email or social media. Reputable companies will never ask you to submit payment information in this way.
Enhance Your Online Privacy
If you’re using public WiFi, then you might be even more vulnerable to hackers. All of the data you’re transmitting might be observed by another person connected to the network, which means that they’ll know which sites you’re visiting. Private browsing mode is no protection against this.
If you want to keep your activities truly private, then you’ll want to install a Virtual Private Network. This will encrypt your connection, such that you can shop without fear. A VPN Chrome extension is a convenient way to get started.
Be Wary of Unsolicited Offers
Companies may send you promotional emails, designed to coax you into making a purchase. But not all of the promotional emails you receive are going to be genuine. If you’re tempted by an offer you receive via email, check that it’s from an address that really belongs to the retailer in question. If in doubt, don’t reply.
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