ONLINE SHOPPING SAFETY TIPS
**Online shopping safety tips**
**These are some really simple ways to shop safely online you can use every day:**
1. **Research retailers online to make sure they’re legitimate.**
2. **Make sure the website is secure.**
3. **Know your rights and the company’s returns policy.**
4. **Keep software and virus protection up-to-date and use strong passwords for online accounts.**
5. **Don’t use public Wi-Fi. Your standard data connection is more secure.**
6. **Pay using a credit card. You will have more protection. Alternatively, online services like PayPal mean scammers will not be able to get hold of your bank details.**
7. **Be smart. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.**
**You can find out more about these tips in the rest of our guide.**
1. **When making purchases or selling on Internet trading portals, always read the buying and selling instructions carefully.**
2. **Make sure you understand the policies of the website you are dealing through**– particularly regarding what it will and won’t do if something goes wrong or a fraudulent transaction occurs. You should be able to find this information easily in its terms and conditions.
3. **If you can, do your homework on the buyer or seller.**When transacting through an online trading post like Gumtree, make sure that you have the other person’s proof of identification, proof of residence, and correct and confirmed contact details.
4. **When carrying out the transaction, ensure that the transaction is witnessed** by at least one person, and that a receipt is issued.
5. **If the seller is a business, check its real-world presence.**If they provide a phone number, call them up and verify their details. But remember that overseas sellers may be harder to chase in the event of a problem.
6. **Check online stores’ privacy and returns policies**to be sure your information will not be shared and that you are not stuck with merchandise you didn’t order.
7. **Be clear about shipping and delivery costs**(for example, whether or not they are included and if not, if they are clearly stated).
8. **Be clear about methods of payment**and whether any of these attract any extra costs.
9. **Always provide the absolute minimum necessary personal information**to sellers and buyers – and nothing more.
10. **Bear in mind that paying by credit card offers greater protection against fraud**than other payment methods – since banks often have measures in place to deal with credit card fraud.
11. **Always double check all details of your purchase**before confirming payment.