Exercising safety when shopping online
Most of us these days have done some form of shopping online, whether it is shopping for groceries and household goods or whether it is buying gifts, entertainment, clothes, and even holidays. Shopping online has become more and more popular over recent years, with an increasing number of people choosing to enjoy the convenience, ease, and speed of shopping via the Internet. When you shop online you get to make your purchases from the comfort and privacy of your own home with no queues to worry about. You also get to enjoy incredible choice with products available from all around the world.
However, before you rush into making purchases online you also need to consider the risks of shopping online and make sure that you do not fall victim to any form of fraud or theft. When you make purchases online you have to enter your credit card details in order to pay for the item, so you should make sure that you exercise caution when conducting online transactions. Of course, do bear in mind that reputable websites use sophisticated software to protect customers, but there is no harm in exercising a little extra caution.
Whenever you go to a website to make a purchase you need to ensure that it is a secure website, as this means that your details will be safe. You can tell if a website is a secure one either by a padlock sign on the site or by checking that the http at the start of the website address changed to https when you use the site. If the site does not appear to be secure then it is best avoided, as otherwise you could end up putting your financial details and even your identity at risk.
If you are making purchases online you also need to consider the risks of the items being damaged or not turning up at all for one reason or another. With this in mind remember that if your purchase comes to more than £100 you will enjoy additional protection if you pay by credit card rather than debit card, as there is extra protection through the Consumer Credit Act 1974. If you pay by debit card there is no guarantee that you will be protected by the bank in the event that your items turn up damaged or do not turn up at all.
If you are making purchases from abroad you should remember that you may be eligible to pay VAT and duty charges, and these can really bump up the price of the purchase. Before you make your purchase it may be worth contacting HM Customs and Excise to check whether you will be subject to these charges and how much you are likely to pay. Also, remember that there will be postal charges on many items that you buy online so don’t forget to take these into account.
Anyone that shares a computer with others needs to ensure that they do no save their account details and passwords on websites on that shared system, as otherwise this will give others access to your account and your payment details, which would make it easier for others to commit fraud. Also, always enter websites by using your search engine browser. You should never link to a website through an email link and enter account details, as this could be a phishing scam and could result in you becoming the victim of fraud.
Tags: duty charges, privacy, risks, debit, form