How to shop safely online

Why should you use your credit card when shopping online? The answer is safety. If you use a credit card, you are not exposing your personal accounts. In addition, you can contact your credit card company if you do not receive the purchased items. We have gathered our best tips for online shopping here.

Find a serious online store

When you shop online, you need to be extra cautious that the store is serious and trustworthy. A useful tip is to check others’ experiences with the store. Search for reviews and forums. If you are unsure, you should contact the store’s customer service. A serious company is not afraid to be contacted, and if you cannot find the contact information, you should consider other stores.

Spell-check

Some scammers use spelling errors in the web-address and create copies of serious online stores to steal personal information, like credit card information. These can be very similar to the original store’s website. So, always check that you have spelled the web address correctly. Some copies of online stores are so advanced they even have SSL-certificates (https) for their fake websites.

Is the price too good to be true?

If you find an online store selling a product to a very low price, it might be a scam. They might retrieve your personal information rather than sell you a product. You should not give out more information than necessary when shopping online, in case it might not be a serious site. Compare prices with other places before purchasing.

Look for the lock symbol

Look for the lock symbol and “https” in front of the URL (web address). This means that the information you are sending is encrypted and not send to a third party.

Be aware of extra costs

You should always check the total amount before you finalize the payment. There are often extra costs like shipping. When you order from abroad, there are often additional VAT costs Different rules apply to different countries. There might also be customs costs for some items. Check this in advance and avoid being surprised.