Online shopping has been growing steadily in the past few years and with good reason. Online shopping is easier, more convenient and you can easily compare products and prices at various stores from the comfort of your home. Better yet, you can have the product deliver at your doorstep without ever visiting any store.

You need to watch out for your safety though when shopping online. In these days of cyberattacks, the last thing you want is your personal and credit information falling into the wrong hands. Follow these tips to stay safe when shopping online.

Deal with reputable businesses

You should not throw caution to the wind when shopping online. You must ascertain the reputation of the business before you make any transaction with them, failure of which you might just get conned.

There are unscrupulous online businesses that fail to deliver the product or service after you make payments or deliver substandard goods. Yourcontentshop.Com recommends that you look at the reviews on any company before you do business with them online.

If you notice any red flags like a history of common complaints about poor service or failure to deliver, then look elsewhere.

Access secure sites only

The first feature you should look for when you access any site is the padlock which indicates that the site is safe and secure. Also, the URL should be HTTPS rather than HTTP. This means that the site is securely encrypted and there is a reduced risk of your information getting stolen.

Do not provide credit card information or any other important personal information on a site that lacks this important feature. You will be exposing yourself to hackers, phishers and other types of cybercriminals if you making any online transactions on unsecured websites. You are better off sticking to the sites that you trust instead of looking for bargains from dubious websites.

Use secure connections only

Using public Wi-Fi may help you skimp on paying for your own internet connection but it exposes you to a myriad of cyberattacks. Public Wi-Fi are not secure and you should not conduct any online financial transaction if you are connected to one. In fact, some payment platforms like PayPal often block transactions if they detect you are connected to an insecure public Wi-Fi.

If you must use public Wi-Fi, then get a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection for some element of safety.

The safest place to do your online shopping is at home, over your private internet, where there is also no risk of someone peaking over your shoulder.

Track your transactions

Don’t wait until the bank or credit card providers sends your statement to track your expenses, especially if you are a frequent online shopper. It might to be too little, too late.

If you can, take a look at your online statement every week. This way you notice any strange activities in case you have been attacked and alert your bank in good time before you lose all your money.