How to Stay Safe While Shopping Online

Today, going online is the norm. Various websites offer a variety of products. You find fresh produce, wet market products, cooked food, grocery items, entertainment, sports, education, and more. Even if you do not go out of the house, you can have most things you want and need online.

If you want to watch movies, you have internet-based TV. If you are into fitness, you can find videos from fitness and gym instructors on YouTube. Search Google, and you can find tutorials for cooking, sewing, and baking. If you want to play fun betting games, you can easily do it at casino.netbet.co.uk.

As online shopping increases its popularity, you cannot help but worry. How do you know whether the sites are trustworthy? How many news reports have you seen about online shops committing fraud and databases of major wholesalers and retailers hacked?

How to stay safe and enjoy your online shopping

The most important thing right now is knowing how to stay safe while shopping for various things online. Read on and learn a few ideas on how to do it.

Check the URLs

You will find plenty of online shops today. Some of them may be unfamiliar because the number of entrepreneurs increases. Make sure that the website has ”HTTPS” at the start of the web address. This means that the website is more secure than the regular sites with ”HTTP.” The padlock symbol indicates that the site is secure and your browser and website’s communication is encrypted.

Do not connect to public Wi-Fi 

People outside their homes enjoy free connectivity using public Wi-Fi services. However, if you want to do online shopping while outdoors, keep yourself safe by connecting to your data plan so your transaction is encrypted. Remember that public internet services are easier to hack. Since you will provide the shop with your name, credit card information, phone number, and email, you must make sure that it cannot be hijacked. Better yet, wait until you get home before placing your order.

Shop only from reputable stores

A way to ensure your safely while shopping online is to patronise shops you trust. It you shop often, you should have several sites where you find most of the things you need. If you like their service, it is advisable to bookmark them. It is easier to reach the sites from your bookmarks list. Moreover, you avoid typing the URL and making an error which could lead you to an illegitimate site that can hijack your personal information and credit card number.

Use a credit card rather than your debit card

It is better to use a credit card when making online purchases because it offers protection. If your online purchase costs more than £100 (maximum of £30,000), Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act covers you. The Act states that the credit card firm shares the seller’s responsibility equally for undelivered, unsatisfactory, and faulty products. In some cases, the credit card may offer airline miles, loyalty points and cashback.

Protect your computer system

It is normal to protect your computer system from viruses and malware. But to ensure that you are protected all the time, see to it that your internet security and antivirus protection are up to date.

Keep in mind that scammers are everywhere. If the offer seems too good, take it as a red flag and investigate further before purchasing.

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