Have you ever backed out from buying something online because you were scared of being scammed? In today’s day and age it is more important than ever to make sure you are safe when shopping online. Getting your card information taken can be a huge hassle and cost you thousands. Below are some major things to look for when shopping online to make sure that you are buying from a secure and safe shopping site.

Offer

The first way to tell a scam online could be as easy as the price of the item. If you see something that seems way too good to be true, it almost definitely is online. If you see something that is significantly cheaper than you see it on major sites like Amazon or in stores, it is almost never a good idea to buy it. Amazon typically has the lowest price possible to sell items, so there is a chance you are being scammed if you see it lower. There is the chance that the goods you are buying are damaged, stolen, or fake and that is where the savings comes from. It is important to really analyze the market for the product you are about to buy if you are concerned about being scammed.

PayPal and Payments

A site having PayPal, or not, says a lot about it’s security. PayPal ensures that merchants using the service are legitimate and have certain levels of service and guidelines. PayPal will not be associated with a company that is anything close to a scam. If a site does not have PayPal it could be because the merchant has not set it up or does not want to pay the slight fees. However, it could also mean that the company does not adhere to strict enough standards for PayPal to be associated with it. Additionally, if the site only accepts debit cards and not credit cards, that is a red flag. Credit cards offer more protection to the consumer than using a debit card, so if only debit cards are offered it could be because the company wants to rip off customers.

Other Shoppers

If you can’t find a review from anyone about the place you are buying something there is a chance it could be a scam. There is a good chance you are not the first one who has bought something from a particular site, so if you do research and don’t find any customer feedback you should be wary. Ideally, the site will have some customer experiences on it so you know that others have used the site, but these could even be fake. Even if the site turns out to be legitimate, a lack of customer reviews or place to leave them could mean the company has bad customer service and would illicit a lot of negative reviews.

Other Things To Look For

There are some simple tell-tale signs that a site is or is not secure. If the site has a privacy statement, it is usually a good sign. Privacy statements mean that someone has at least thought about the privacy aspect of the site. If there is little contact information on a site, it could mean that the company lacks legitimacy. You should always look for a physical address and phone number to make sure that the company is at least a legitimate operation. If you don’t see a lot of information on shipping or the return policy, you need to be careful. If they try to withhold this information, there is usually a reason. You should also see a padlock, or similar icon, at the top or bottom of the site. This lets the user know that the site is encrypted to protect people’s information.

It is easier than ever to lose your private information, especially online. People are thinking of new ways to scam others out of money every single day. If you are not careful when shopping on the internet, you could be their next victim.