Find the best credit card offers online.Online shopping is fast becoming popular among American consumers. It is a great time saver and online shoppers have found that finding bargains can be much easier online. However, there are also a lot of risks that online shoppers take on. Thus, they need to follow a few safety rules when they shop online to avoid fraud and other problems.
Experts agree that shopping online should always be done with credit cards, not debit cards. Gartner Inc. fraud analyst, Avivah Litan said that banks are pushing debit cards to consumers, offering a number of rewards programs so that they can earn more by charging higher merchant fees compared to credit card transactions. However, if a debit card is stolen, consumers may find it more complicated to get things sorted.
Shopping online is prone to malicious computer exploits. This means that a lot of the risk that online shoppers take on depends entirely on the computer they use. Most users will need protection software such as anti-viruses. Another option is not to use computers running Windows but use Macs or Linux instead.
To be sure that they are using a secure website, online shoppers should always look for the SSL sign or padlock. This is usually seen in the address bar of the browser. If these are not present and the website is asking for personal and financial details, it is best to move away from that site. There are a lot of fake websites that pop up in the web, copying legitimate pages from a legitimate site, hoping to rip off online shoppers.
Online shoppers should also be wary of going all out when bargain shopping. A lot of fake online shops pop up especially during peak shopping seasons, offering prices way below the norm, hoping to lure online shoppers to giving away their personal information. Online shoppers looking for a bargain can use a safer way to look for low prices by using price comparison websites such as Bizrate and Pricegrabber.
Online shoppers should also make sure to read and understand completely the shipping and return policies of the product that they are buying. They should also be aware of the fine print whenever they buy online to make sure that they are not agreeing to something else when they click that “buy” button. Finally, it is probably not a good idea for shoppers to browse for bargains when they are at work. As Marketwatch.com’s Jackie Ford puts it, “Regardless of how you’re paid, you’re probably an at-will employee — which means you can be fired at any time for any reason, or even for no reason at all. By surfing when you should be working, you may be making yourself the perfect nominee for the next round of down-sizing.”
