How to Shop Safely Online in 2023

Update your antivirus software​

Firstly, consider updating your antivirus software. If you’ve not done this already, then chances are, you’re at a disadvantage already. There’s a lot that’s changed over the years when it comes to security and the way cyber attacks can infiltrate your system, whether you’re at home or out and about.

That’s why it’s important to stay up to date with all of the latest updates needed for your computers and devices. An antivirus software that’s up to date and protects all your devices will help to ensure your accounts stay protected.

Think about updating your antivirus software as and when you can and be sure it continues to protect your online navigation when shopping online.

Avoid clicking on any unfamiliar websites

Unfamiliar websites are something you should be extra careful about. While the internet has grown considerably over the years and there are many more businesses that operate online, that does mean there are plenty of scam sites online too.

It’s important to be careful about clicking on any unfamiliar sites that don’t look like proper, established online shopping platforms. Whether that’s poor design, a slow-loading page, or something that just feels off, it’s worth sticking to the ones that you trust.

Most of the trusted sites will appear on the first few pages of your search engine results page.

If it’s too good to be true it probably is 

There are some great deals that you can find online when it comes to shopping. However, while there may be some great deals available, it doesn’t mean all of them are going to be legitimate. It’s therefore important to be mindful that some might be quite the steal that you think.

It’s always good to take the advice of if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Be aware that some sites are going to offer a hard-to-believe deal in order to pull customers in to share their financial information. 

Once they have that financial information, they can potentially extort you without giving you what you paid for. Make sure to trust your gut and remember that not everything is that cheap in life without some sort of consequence.

Look for safe payment processors when checking out 

When it comes to the checkout stage of your shopping basket, do consider looking out for any safe payment processors that you may want to see before exchanging confidential information.

Whether it’s a CBD payment processor or you recognize the payment provider because it’s been used on other sites you shop on, keep a look out for these. The checkout process is often the place where many customers will back out of the deal whether it’s due to surprise shipping fees and taxes, to slow payment processors making the experience painful, to say the least.

Use your credit card 

When it comes to shopping online, the best thing you can do when shopping is to use your credit card. Your credit card adds a layer of protection than using your bank cards. When you use your bank cards, you expose more information whereas a credit card isn’t linked to any of your bank accounts other than what you choose to pay off each month.

With that in mind, make sure you’re using your credit card actively when shopping online. Avoid using your bank cards unless the merchant doesn’t allow certain credit card providers.

Avoid shopping on a public WIFI

While it’s handy to have, public WIFIs are not as secure as your own WIFI at home. Some public WIFIs might not even be legitimate and are set up to scam people who connect to them. With that in mind, be wary of any public WIFIs that your phone finds and try to avoid shopping online when connecting to these public domains.

Shopping safely online is something you want to take extremely seriously. There are more scams and cyber attacks happening every day, so caution is important to have when shopping online.