Shopping online can be risky, as PCMag lead security analyst Neil J. Rubenking writes. “From shady websites to deals that are too good to be true, it’s important to stay vigilant when handing over payment details during the busy online shopping season.”
Here are nine ways to shop safely online this holiday season:
1. Use a Credit Card
When you use a credit card to complete transactions, you have zero liability to pay for a fraudulent transaction. Debit cards offer some protection, but it’s not as strong or universal as those afforded to credit cards. If you make a purchase and the seller doesn’t deliver, or worse, an unauthorized person makes purchases using your card, you can report that fraud to your credit card provider. Some banks offer disposable credit card numbers to make online shopping even safer, as do some security services like as Abine Blur.
2. Do Your Research
If someone is selling a top-of-the-line graphics card for $20 amid the chip shortage and inflation, well, that deal is probably too good to be true. The easiest way to avoid fraud is to vet sellers thoroughly before making a purchase. Do your research by checking their profile for reviews. If it’s a company based in the US, Canada, or Mexico, look them up on the Better Business Bureau website.
3. Avoid SMS Links
Here’s something you’ll probably encounter this holiday season: smishing. It’s phishing via SMS. If you’ve ever gotten a text from an unknown number with a link to a fabulous bargain, it was probably a scam. Clicking on any link from an unknown number is a bad idea.
Even if your phone or caller ID shows the name of someone you know, call or text the person to ask if they sent you a link before clicking it. Scam artists can spoof local numbers with ease and catch you off guard with phishing links.
4. Watch for Typos
Keep an eye out for minor typos in familiar web addresses. The biggest online retail stores buy common typo domains and redirect them to the actual site. Fraudsters put up websites that look like major retail sites but with URLs that are slightly different. Maybe they end in .co rather than .com or swap in a numeral 1 in place of an ‘l.’ Look closely at any URLs for typos meant to trick you.
5. Shop on Secure Sites
Every commercial site online must use HTTPS. That means if you don’t see the little lock in the address bar while you’re shopping, the site you’re on is not secure. Some browsers, such as Chrome, mark sites without the lock as not secure. Don’t wait for your browser to alert you; keep an eye on the address bar and stay safe.
6. Create a “Junk” Email Account
Set up a “junk” email account with one of the free online email services, and use that email address for any accounts that require an email address to shop or receive special offers, etc.
From that point forward, this new junk email account will be the unhappy recipient of all the spam that would have otherwise started landing in your primary (aka real) email account.
7. Avoid Oversharing
Be wary of any merchants who ask for much more than the minimum details about you when you purchase. For example, if you’re buying a new laptop, it’s reasonable for a merchant to ask for your physical address but deeply suspicious if they ask for your SSN or mother’s maiden name.
8. Use a Password Manager
Shopping sites will always encourage you to register for their site when you make a purchase. That means you give the merchant a username or email address as well as a password. “DO NOT use the same password for every site you use this holiday season or any season!”
Get a password manager. Install the browser extension, and let the manager create and store all of the unique, strong passwords you need. You don’t have to memorize any of the passwords yourself. The password manager does the hard work of recalling passwords for you when you return to the website later.
9. Stay Home
Staying home rather than online shopping while at a local coffee shop or other public space means you don’t have to worry about using dodgy public Wi-Fi networks to make transactions. You can even keep all your credit card info and passwords securely in a password manager vault. It’s just safer and easier than shopping in public.
If you must go out and about this holiday season and want to shop online while doing so, turn off Wi-Fi and just use cellular data while making your purchases. You can also install a VPN app on your phone, which will encrypt your communications.
Key, Kim. “9 Ways to Shop Safer This Holiday Season” PC Magazine November 23, 2021