More and more people all over the world are making purchases on the Internet, but all “Active users” Associations remind that this increases the risks of making the users victims of fraud and misuse of credit cards, or provide them with low-quality goods or have their rights violated. Usually the people who have no experience because they are just entering the global network are most vulnerable.
There are thousands of fake websites that appear on the Internet for a short time in order to make quick profits and disappear leaving their customers with nothing. Do not be mistaken – the fact that a certain website looks good does not necessarily mean that the company is legitimate and everything about it is the way it should be.
So, in order to prevent frauds when purchasing some products online, you need to be absolutely certain in the reliability of the website which you use. There are several ways to check if the website you are going to make a purchase from guarantees your security or not:
Choosing a safe online store
There are several ways to check if the online store you are planning to use is legitimate and safe. First, look at the URL of the website. The URLs of the websites that have no problems with security and encrypt your personal data in order to keep them safe from any third parties always start with https:// instead of with the standard http://.
Also, always check other customers’ opinions on the Internet and make sure that the website has a Feedback section, as well as a Contact page with working e-mail and telephone number. Another very important aspect of the reliability of the online store is to check the paying methods it provides you with. If the website offers you to use a PayPal account or a bank transfer the statements and documents from such payments can be used as a proof of purchase. The same applies for payments via Western Union, MoneyBookers and other offline electronic money transfer systems.
