Shop Safely Online - 8 Tips for Safe Online Shopping | Antivirus

Not long ago you had to throw yourself into mostly overcrowded shopping malls and shopping centers for every purchase in wind and weather. Meanwhile, there was always the risk that the desired product is currently not available. Today, on the other hand, a few taps of the finger on the smartphone are enough and the desired product is on its way to your own home. When it comes to choice, the virtual gates of thousands and thousands of online shops and online shopping platforms all over the world are open to you. Due to the enormous selection and the simplicity of price comparisons, you can land a lot of bargains online.

But as is the case with many great things in life, shopping on the Internet also has a downside. Headlines of fraud fakes and rip-offs tarnish the carefree shopping experience of the brave new shopping world. Especially when you come across lesser-known online shops with unbelievable bargain prices as part of online price comparison, the uncertainty is often great: should I dare to place an order or should I keep my hands off this provider? If you follow a few basic rules, you usually don't get caught up in potential fraud. That way, negative experiences are spared and you can strike the next bargain with a clear conscience.

8 Tips and Rules of Conduct When Shopping on the Internet

1. Pay attention to test seals and certificates

Test seals and certificates from independent test centers are probably the most reliable indications that the online shop is a reputable provider. If an online shop bears the seal of approval from a recognized test center on the website, you can be sure that the shop has been thoroughly checked by independent experts and found to be serious.

2. Check reliability based on reviews

In addition to certificates and seals of approval, customer reviews and online experience reports are the second essential source of information to ensure that a particular retailer is a reputable shop. In addition to the ratings under a product in the shop itself, testimonials and ratings on external websites are particularly informative. After all, the shop owner has no way of deleting unpleasant negative reviews.

3. Recognize fake reviews

Unfortunately, when it comes to evaluating online shops and customer reviews, one is inevitably confronted with the subject of fake reviews. Unfortunately, these are actually a serious problem these days when it comes to how much you can rely on positive testimonials. It is almost impossible to unequivocally identify every false customer review as such. Nevertheless, there are ways to unmask fake reviews or to at least exercise a certain skepticism with some experience reports.

The following indications can indicate a fake rating:

• Many exuberant positive customer reviews in a very short time sequence - especially if the product has only recently been available
• Exaggeratedly positive formulations that are more reminiscent of an advertising message
• Extremely negative reviews that emphatically promote a competing product
• Constructs sounding usernames
• If visible: users who quickly rate many products in a certain category (e.g. five TV sets in one day)
• Real customers rarely take the time to write long novels. Dissolute praise for a product should make one skeptical
• Some shop portals display verified buyers who are definitely real customers
• Customer reviews can be checked for authenticity via the website https://reviewmeta.com/. Simply copy the relevant product URL into the search field on the website and the algorithms scan all available reviews for authenticity. While there is no guarantee that all false reviews will be debunked. However, the algorithms recognize many suspicious signs of fake ratings.

4. Use secure passwords

No, "Hallo123", the name of the mother, or the date of birth are definitely not recommended examples of secure passwords. Especially in times of increased cyber attacks by professional hacker gangs, you should make it as difficult as possible for criminals. To prevent the password from being cracked, a password length of at least eight characters is recommended. It should combine letters, numbers, and special characters, have no obvious personal reference and be changed regularly. It's also a good idea to use different passwords for different pages.

5. Check the origin of the online shop

Of course, the origin of an online shop does not necessarily mean that a retailer is serious, but when it comes to buyer protection, it makes a difference whether a shop is located thousands of kilometers away in China or whether it is based in Germany or at least in the EU operates out. Of course, this applies above all to buyers' rights, which are much more difficult to enforce abroad.

In any case, the provider details in the imprint with the full company address and contact details should be clearly visible on the website. If you have any doubts you should contact the seller directly via a contact email address or customer hotline before buying.

6. Secure online payments

When ordering in online shops, there are usually different payment methods to choose from. A secure payment method is essential for online shopping. For example, the following are considered safe:

• payment by invoice,
• payment by cash on delivery,
• payment by direct debit,
• payment by credit card

7. Protect your own data

With every order, personal, sometimes sensitive, data and information is transferred online between buyer and seller: a potential gateway for data theft. Therefore, secure data transmission during the ordering process is of particular importance. Unfortunately, it happens that fraudsters reproduce certain websites and online shops true to the original and thus obtain personal data.

To ensure that no unauthorized person can access personal data, the data transmission should be encrypted. This can be recognized by the abbreviation "HTTPS://" in the address line of the browser together with the small green lock symbol. You should always check this before entering personal data.

8. Find out the shipping and return conditions

If you are on the hunt for bargains online, you shouldn't be too quick to get a low price. In online shops abroad, in particular, shipping costs can sometimes be high. It must also be checked whether the price indicated already includes VAT or whether surcharges on the final price are to be expected.

Some webshops also automatically add certain chargeable additional services during the ordering process. Before you complete the order, you should therefore always take a final look at the final price and remove any unwanted additional services.

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