To increase online shopping security, use a personal computer, avoid storing credit card information, buy from reputable companies with good customer service, use a credit card instead of a debit card, and use common sense.
As more and more people have decided to buy everything from vitamins to cars online, concerns about the safety of buying things online abound. If shopping from work or home is more convenient for you, do you need to stop to keep your personal information safe? Although there is always a small risk, a few simple steps will dramatically increase your security when shopping online.
First, when you shop online, never shop from a public computer. Only use your work or home computer, making sure that you or your spouse are the only ones with access to the information stored on it. Also, if you want to make sure your information is safe, don’t have any site store your credit card information. You may again save a few seconds when you shop on that site again, but the privacy of not having a retailer store your credit card information is worth the negligible amount of time saved.
Shopping online is safer when you buy from a reputable and established company. If you have a problem with your order or your charges from a company no one has heard of, you may be out of luck. However, if you have the same problem with an established business with many different locations, you can easily find someone to help you fix the problem. Along the same lines, when shopping online, you should always make sure that the company has an easy way to contact customer service. They should have an email address, a toll-free number, or live chat, preferably all three. If you can’t find a way to contact customer service, don’t order from that company!
Using a credit card when shopping online is generally safer than a debit card. If something happens to your charges on a credit card, the money has not been deducted from your account. Also, most credit card companies provide fraud protection and this is still not true for all debit cards. Some credit cards even provide virtual credit card account numbers that can be used only once, ensuring your security.
Finally, when shopping online, like in physical stores, use common sense. Do not provide information such as your social security number to retailers. Check your credit card statement to make sure you are only charged once, and only for the actual amount of your purchase. By paying attention and being careful, shopping online should be a very low risk venture.
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