5 Important Tips for Shopping Safely Online

Shopping online is by far the easiest and most convenient means of buying today. The supposed daunting experience of physical shopping has been reduced drastically due to e-commerce and in the age of Covid-19 and social distancing, online shopping continues to lead the business chart.

Customer experience in online shops has always been noted as twice better than that of physical shopping. But, what about the downside of online shopping? It’s worth knowing that even as buyers’ interest continues to grow in favor of online shopping, so are the insecurities surrounding online shopping. It’s important to note some careful measures when shopping online.

This isn’t in a way to discourage the growing tribe of online shoppers but to equip them with secured information on online shopping safety.

1.       Use Only Familiar Websites: Today, in the age ofonline scams and fraudulent internet activities, e-commerce businesses and online retailers spend a huge part of their marketing strategy on trying to build customer reputation and relationships. This is because many online shoppers stick to familiar websites to avoid online scams. As a new shopper on the internet, stick to familiar websites. The familiarity could be in watching their public reputation over time or knowing people who have purchased from them or even through customers’ reviews.
2.       Don’t Overshare: Online sellers can never ask you for sensitive private information like your social security number for any reason. Avoid falling victim to any e-retailer asking for these details. Divulging this information is giving online scammers access to your private information which makes it easier for your identity to be stolen. Be precise with the amount of information you give online, if you feel using your debit card is divulging a lot also, stick to online transactions like using Paystack, Payoneer, Stripe, etc.
3.       Create a Strong Password: Virtually every online store with a mobile app requires a password. This password helps to keep yourpersonal information safe. As an online shopper, to ensure the continuous safety of these details, always make use of strong passwords which cannot be easily manipulated.
4.       Check the Seller: Even with the growing presence of online shops, many scammers have resorted to using e-retailing as a guise to steal and swindle people of their money. Before buying anything from an online seller, check them out and the easiest way to do this is through people that have patronized them in the past. Either from people, you know or even reading customer’s reviews.
5.       Wi-Fi Security: When shopping in public spaces always make sure your connection is secured.Avoid using public Wi-Fi as they are usually unsecured. Many fraudsters access personal information by hacking into public Wi-Fi services. So when shopping online which will require a lot of personal details, avoid the use of public Wi-Fi.

There are so many other safety procedures to follow while shopping online like avoiding using your debit card, seller’s return policy, virus protection on your computer, etc. Following these tips not only helps you avoid potential scammers on the internet but allows you to relax while shopping online.