Shubham Sawarkar
Due to the increasing use of the internet and the fast-growing fashion of the modern lifestyle, the online shopping market and the trend are increasing at a rapid pace. Its craze is making rapid inroads not only in cities but also in rural areas. But the increasing fraud incidents with online shopping customers have brought the credit of this latest and unconventional marketing in doubt. In online shopping, you are most afraid of leaking your private and sensitive information, which can cause fraud in many ways. Therefore, before shopping online, we should take care of some special things so that as a customer, we can keep both our privacy and money safe.
Study about shopping sites
Whenever you are shopping online, do a serious study about the authenticity of the site from which you are purchasing products. If you feel that there are a lot of inaccuracies in the spelling of the name and other details of the site, then you should not do any online shopping from such sites, because such sites are often fake and in such a situation you may be cheating.
Apart from this, when the logo, photo, and brand name of the site are of low resolution, then in such a situation there is a lot of possibility of that site being fake. Sometimes, such fake sites ask for a lot of personal information and details from you, which raises doubts about the authentication of these sites. It would be better to never use these types of sites for online shopping of any kind.
Always use a Credit Card
It is considered better to use a credit card for online shopping payments, as in case of any fraud, the credit card company of the customer refunds the payment made by them, or in case of credit card fraud. Legal action can be taken and you can get protection financially. But for such shopping with a debit card, the return of payment is not possible.
Apart from this, the one-time-use credit card can also be used for shopping payments, under which a special number is generated for the transaction which can be used only once. In the event of credit card theft, this number cannot be used again by Cyber Criminals and thus remains customer safe.
Do not use public computers
There is a high risk of leaking private information in using a cybercafe or a public place computer for online shopping. In the case of public computer usage, your browsing history and login information can be tracked by a stranger user and you can be a victim of fraud. That is why it is necessary to do all such online shopping from your personal home computer or laptop so that your personal information can remain protected.
Use strong password
When you are using a credit card or online service for online shopping, then take special care that the passwords used for it are very strong.
Even internet experts say that the password should be changed every three months. In such a situation it is not easy to hack the password and the user can avoid many types of fraud. To make the password strong, a password of at least 8 digits should be created which includes numbers in addition to alphabets and some special signs and symbols, such passwords are very difficult to guess.
Be alert about phishing e-mails scam
The increasing incidents of phishing emails have greatly increased the dangers for online shopping customers. Online shopping by phishing emails refers to shopping that does not actually encourage.
These sites are fake and they are created only for online users to a transactions from such fake sites and then get their private important data and cybercriminals can use them improperly for their benefit. So it is necessary that such phishing emails should be investigated and then this mail should never be opened for any kind of dealing.
Choose cash on delivery payment option (if possible)
In shopping online, it is believed that when we make a payment for the purchase of a product before delivery, we lose our freedom as a customer, and then we do not have much left over from the point of view of purchase.
Because when you credit the payment online, then the shopping company handles the delivery of the product you have purchased at your convenience. Because in such a situation, the seller company has nothing to lose. So it becomes essential to keep in mind that if we want fast and perfect service then we should give priority to cash on delivery methods for online shopping. But if online payment or card payment is left as the last option of payment method, then in such a situation you must create a 3D security code for your credit card. Because with 3D Security Code Creation, you can protect yourself to a great extent from financial fraud.
Code of Conduct for online shopping
We can never deny the fact that online shopping has been established as a craze for the present generation, which is not easy to avoid in popularity. But we can protect ourselves from the dangers of frauds coming in the way of this latest shopping if before shopping online as customers, keep in mind the following things:
- Online companies’ Hidden Costs (hidden prices about which customers should Is not told). Some companies promulgate free shipping charges before the deal, but they then charge huge amounts in the name of insurance and many other miscellaneous charges. Sometimes these companies raise the price of the products in the name of a discount and they cheat the customers by giving a small discount. It is necessary to study it. For this, it is better that you get information about the prices of those products in the nearby retail shop so that you will not be a victim of any kind of fraud.
- Do not buy expensive and very sophisticated products like electronic goods from online shopping which are likely to go bad during handling or shipping. There is less risk in buying low-priced products used in households online.
- In online marketing, it is said that Cash is the best, that is, if you are purchasing a product online, then you should try to make the payment cash on delivery. There is no risk of being a victim of fraud in a cash payment. Because in this situation, along with the safety of the products, delivery is also very fast and there is also protection from many types of online fraud.
- Compare the price of the products with the prices of other online companies so that you have to pay only the fair price of the products.
- Before shopping online, read the reviews or post-transaction comments of other customers about various products. With this, you will get information about the credibility of the deal and the quality of the products of any particular company.
- Before shopping online, study the supplying company and do extensive homework about the credibility of that company.
- When the full payment is made in advance for the purchase of a product by the customer, in this case, the entire risk is on the purchasers. To reduce this risk, whenever you are shopping online, you must also know about all the options of canceling the deal of that product and returning the product.
- Online customers should refrain from doing any online shopping from public booths or cyber cafes etc. or from any relative or friend’s PC as there is every possibility of leaking important data related to the credit card or debit card used for your online payment.
The opinions expressed here by our contributors are their own, not those of GadgetBond.
