10 Tips for Safe and Successful Online Shopping

With the holiday shopping season in full-swing, I thought it would be a good idea to provide a few useful and easy tips to make sure your online shopping experience is safe and successful.

1) If you know exactly what item you want to buy online, use price comparison shopping sites like Shopping.com and Pricerunner.com to find the best price.

2) When you are completing the checkout process, only complete transactions when the Web address starts with https:// - the 's' means that the shopping site is secure.

3) Ensure that when visiting a Web site, they are certified by companies like the Better Business Bureau, BuySAFE, and VeriSign. Make sure the logos are 'clickable' to ensure that they represent active membership as fraudulent Web sites will just use their logo images.

4) Also when you are completing the checkout process, look closely for any additional shipping fees that may increase the final cost of your purchase.

5) Never click on a link in an email that looks like it is from Paypal, eBay, a bank or any other financial institution. This is a common fraud attempt that will redirect you to a web site that looks safe, but is actually a fake site meant to capture your personal information.

6) Use security toolbars that advise if a site is safe before making purchases.

7) Always keep your receipts and be sure to check your junk email folder if you did not receive an email receipt after purchase.

8) Review the return policy before you purchase to ensure whether a product can be exchanged or returned.

9) Regularly run virus and spyware scans on your PC.

10) Restart your PC after scanning for viruses or spyware. Restarting your computer will ensure that any virus or malware program is completely removed from your system.

If you have any other tips to share, please feel free to add a comment with your tips or tricks to stay safe while shopping online.

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas!