Sunday 14 July 2013


Online shopping is the latest fad. Shopaholics can now find innumerable stuff to purchase online. Ranging from clothes to personal care items and even jewelry, or from furniture to perishable goods like groceries, the World Wide Web brings everything to your doorsteps in one click. Thanks to the advanced technology and the opening up of online retail arena for various players, we can have a comfortable shopping experience. However, like all other good things, online purchases do suffer from certain shortcomings.

Within no time, you could be tricked into making a false purchase, or exposing your sensitive financial information to fraudsters. But taking care of few things can save you from big troubles.

Double-check the Credibility of the Online Store
There are some renowned e-commerce websites, such as Flipkart.com, which are well established and safe to shop at. However, the present-day Internet shopping space is flooded with so many retailers that it is difficult to judge one, which is not well known. Therefore, before giving out your financial information you must check the authenticity of a web-store, by confirming its name, phone number, physical contact address, email address, and registration details in your respective country. In fact, there is nothing wrong in calling the retailer before making a purchase for the first time.

Also, you will be in benefit if you could confirm its reputation by searching for customer reviews, comments, service ratings, as well as complaints.

Know About Billing and Privacy Policy
Make sure you go through the billing and shipping policies, as well as product guarantee rules of the website. Promises often vary from the actual scenario. Moreover, read the privacy policy and service agreement of the online retailer before you make a purchase. It is important that the e-retailer values your right to safety of billing information and personal details while you make payment online.

Look Out for Safety Signals
Do look for “https” in the address bar. Ordinarily, a website’s address can begin with “http” or “https”. An ‘s’ over here indicates that the website is safe. Also, once you proceed to make a purchase, the retailer may flash a message stating that you are entering secure area. You can also look for the padlock symbol on your browser window. If the symbol indicates a closed lock then the window is safe for entering details.

Use an Updated Total Security Software
Many antivirus software applications have the ability to secure your online transactions. They do so by encrypting the information you enter, so that a spyware program cannot read and leak it out. It is always advisable that you make sure your security software is updated and ready to face current threats.  

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