Making purchases online has dominated the retail industry in recent years. With the holiday season approaching, this trend will only increase. While shopping online is very convenient, there are unfortunately many ways to get scammed, especially on retail shopping sites. Personal information such as credit card numbers, addresses, and other critical information are always at risk when you shop online. At Northwest Community Credit Union, we value your security, and have developed a list of useful tips to consider before hitting the process-order button.
Make Sure the Site is Secured
There are over a few hundred thousand different retail sites on the internet. However, it is easy to check if a website is legit or not. Simply by typing the website name followed by the word safe in Google you will find many professional opinions on the safety of the site. Never take the website’s own words about its safety at heart as it’s always better to get a second opinion (If a site displays a seal guaranteeing safe checkout or any other of its security features on the main page, it is most likely a scam. – Reputable sites will usually have a link to a privacy statement page where they will discuss liabilities and safe practices). Another way to know if a site is legit is to judge the accessibility of the site. If the site loads on one device instance but fails to load on another, it might be a scam.
Install or Use Free Security Tools
Installing free software that automatically checks the security of a website is a great way to make sure you are only visiting sites that are secure. The software will usually display a check mark or other indicator next to the website link if it is secured. If the indicator does not appear, then the website is likely unsecured and is likely a scam. There are also free online tools that will detect any questionable sites as well. Some of the best free tools available include Google Safe Browsing, Sucuri, Kasperski, and Phishtank.
Use Credit Cards instead of Debit Cards
If someone does manage to access your financial information online, they will do less damage if you had used a credit card.The reason is that credit cards are not tied directly to your bank account, so the thief will only be able to go as far a the card limit. Fraudulent charges on your credit card are far easier to dispute than payments made with debit. The best option would be to use a card with a low credit limit or better yet, a one-time use card that many financial institutions offer specifically for online shopping.
Look for Online Reviews
Besides using free security tools, another viable option is to simply look for reviews from other users. People often leave reviews about retail sites describing their experience. Note however that some reviews may be fake or paid for by the site. A good rule of thumb when judging online reviews is to look for an over usage of positive and praiseworthy descriptive words. Authentic reviewers will usually not over use such language
Grammar Matters
While this may seem like an unrelated issue, grammar is actually very important when it comes to judging the legitimacy of a site. If a site has many grammatical errors in its content such as incoherent sentences, misspellings, and fragmented statements, there is a good chance it is a scam site. Legitimate sites such as Amazon and Ebay take great care to make sure the content on their sites have no grammatical errors or misspellings. Grammar issues on a site means there is a good chance it was made by foreign developers, which increases the risk of using the site to make purchases.
Sign-In sites are Usually Safer
The most legitimate websites such as Amazon, Ebay, and Chegg, all require users to create an account before being able to make a purchase While this requirement may seem like a hassle, it is actually a good way to make sure a site is safe. While not all sites require a sign in, it is usually safer to make purchases from websites that do.
The volume of shopping online has dramatically increased in recent years. With over a hundred thousand retail sites, it is a good idea to keep these tips in mind as you shop during the upcoming holiday season. There are plenty of scams out there, and using these tips will help protect you from the thieves of the online retail world. Be Safe!
If you would like more information about the credit union, feel free to contact us at 847-647-1030 or visit our website at nwccu.com.