Almost everyone has once found himself in a situation when some big holiday’s coming and you still haven’t bought presents for your family and friends. That awkward moment when the agony increases and the amount of worthy ideas goes down dramatically. What you have to remember in such a situation is that there’s always a way out. You can either rush to the nearest mall, blowing off the risks of getting some contagious disease, or stay at home and choose the online shopping option.
The second variant isn’t perfect, too, of course. And this time we are going to talk about some tips meant to help you avoid getting burned when buying gifts on the Internet. E-commerce is not all about sitting in a comfortable armchair drinking hot chocolate and ordering things you like. You must be aware of all the risks it bears and know how to secure yourself from web-frauds. Here are some easy ways to provide your online shopping with a sufficient level of security.
The first and easiest task to complete is updating your browser so that you have the latest security protection version. Regardless of the browser you prefer to use, spend a couple of minutes setting up automatic updates. For example, when using Chrome, pay attention to the green checkmark in About Google Chrome window, for it means you already have the latest version installed. If you use Internet Explorer, Windows Update will take care of everything not needing any additional actions from you.
Another thing you will need before starting your online shopping is malware-protection application, destined to prevent your computer from Internet attacks and different types of malware. The number of worthy alternatives is impressive, take paid software or free applications.
Even if you have already found a website you’d like to make a purchase from, don’t make any hasty decisions. Firstly, make sure the site is trust-worthy. You can recur to such services as Better Business Bureau Online or Truste and check if they’ve given an approval to the site you like. Price comparison services is also a good way to find out whether you’re offered a reasonably priced goods or services.
Be smart enough not to give out too much personal data. When making purchases online and filling out some forms, give as small information about yourself as possible an try to use the minimal number of fields. Indicating your security number or giving credit card number via e-mail isn’t a good idea, too. Beware of consequences it may carry.
Finally, don’t be afraid to avail of your legal rights. According to the US law your responsibility when making online purchases which turned out to be fraudulent is limited to $50. Remember that there’s no such thing as a free lunch and if the deal seems too good to be true, you should be more careful than ever.