How to avoid being scammed when buying at online stores?
Many of us remember those scene from the movie "The Net", mid-1990s, in which the actress Sandra Bullock starring an expert in computer science, and that one of the main facets of the character focused on the fact that almost never left his home, which carried out all kinds of operation from your computer.
When that film was released in the cinema, many us awe of the fact that the main character could buy a pizza online and receive it at the door of his house, because the truth is that a couple of decades ago ecommerce was seen by most of the common people as something still very far away, although it is clear the companies already had begun to project and plan for this kind of business strategy.
With the passage of the years, e-commerce was introduced into society and was gaining ground, that even today many opted to acquire the most various articles across platforms online official, stores or through online auction sites, since this gives us a real comfort, but above all by the fact that we can to make the purchase with peace of mind to make sure that the product is you are looking for.
And while online shopping have become a part of our lives, and it represents one of the biggest advantages of the Internet, on the other hand no doubt that also carries some risks, which often makes that consumers may ultimately say not to buy through this platform.
What is worse, some risk without knowing very well what they are care that they must have in your information, and above all to the receipt of your credit cards, so it can be swindled by the malicious, that have been found on the Internet a new modality of crime.
In short, while global statistics show that online shopping has grown in the last years of exponentially, also on the other hand has increased crime related to this field. Therefore, before carrying out any trade via the Internet is extremely important to take into account a series of guidelines that will help you avoid being scammed.
Is not only that I may buy a product that never comes, but also about what is done with the personal information that we have provided during the purchase. And while we must not panic and resort to not return to buy online, we should Yes be careful, since this is the only way to be sure that the transaction by e-commerce that we are making does not bring us headaches or major economic problems.
Here we present just some essential guidelines to keep in mind before and during online shopping.
These must be updated and protected with anti-virus and anti-spyware, software that must also be perfectly updated.This is because to make purchases online must enter personal data and sensitive information, such as numbers and codes of our credit cards, and now we know that there are malicious programs that can steal this information.
Another essential aspect is to keep updated the web browser we use, and also an excellent alternative is to install any extension available browser anti-phishing filter, which will help us to protect ourselves from sites using phishing, since this type of filter notify us when they detected a web site that generates some distrust.
In this sense, one of the best options is to resort to using those sites who have recommended us to friends and family, in which they have the experience of having made transactions without drawbacks. Otherwise, we can do a quick search in forums and Web sites, where you will surely find many comments from users who have had a good or a bad experience when you buy.
Of course there are also sites where we can buy with total confidence, due to his career and reputation, as it is the case of Amazon, e-Bay and MercadoLibre, clear that in these cases we must also check the reputation of the seller who offers its products in these auction sites. We can also resort to official online stores of well-known companies.
It is very important before registering and make any transaction through these websites carefully read the privacy policies of the site, promptly in what refers to the collection of your personal data and what they will do with this information, since the truth is that many companies currently use our information further than the purchase transactionfor example to send us emails with offers, or even to transmit these data to third parties, which will make us suffer the constant receipt of spam.
Another aspect to consider is be careful with the prices extremely low, so it is advisable to buy securities in the market, since in general when a vendor sells a product at a cost much lower than its competitors, it could be a trap, it is not always the case, but we must be aware of this.
Then, before you buy, we should seek answers to the following questions:
1. who is the seller?
2. how much will it cost the product? (including cost of shipping, taxes, currency conversion, etc.).
3. What do what I'm buying for that price?
4. is there a stock?
5 through which shipping method will I receive the product?
6. How can I pay the purchase?
7. How do I know if my order has been confirmed?
8. What personal information I requested?
9. what will you do with my data?
10. does the product warranty?
11. does the transaction safe?
12 where can I claim if something goes wrong?
The most common format in this case is the encryption known as Secure Sockets Layer or SSL, through which is encrypted so data this information cannot be decrypted and read by anyone who is outside the transaction.
To verify that the site in which we pay the product uses this security technology, we must revise some parameters within our web browser, which are listed below:
1. some browsers, depending on the configuration, we be notified with a message at the time at which we are entering an area or a safe place.
2. in the address bar of the browser, the start of the URL will change from "http" to "https", and in this case the "s" indicates that the site is secure.
3. also at the beginning of the URL you can reach the icon of a closed padlock appear what it symbolizes that the page in question is safe. Let us note that if the padlock is open, this will mean that the site is not secure.
4. in some cases you can also get to show is the site of a key.
Ideally, when we very often make shopping online we do so through payment with renowned services, as it is the case of MercadoPago or PayPal, since through this procedure, we avoid having to enter our card details anywhere, since in fact payment is not directly in the place where we purchase, but through the site's paid services, as for example with MercadoLibre and MercadoPago.
At the end of the purchase process, most often is that we receive in our mailbox an email sent by the site in which we made the purchase, which is similar to having a provisional proof of the transaction, and which tend to be detailed the order number, the product description and the estimated date of delivery.
Anyway, during the confirmation of your purchase, we will see that all the data in a form, will be displayed in the browser window which is convenient to save, and that we can do it in PDF format, or directly to print this page, either taking a screenshot.
However, one further aspect to bear in mind, and something that is really essential is not to shop from computers of others or in public, PCs e.g. in Internet cafes, as well not through third-party connections, as it could be from our notebook but through the Wi-Fi connection in a bar.
We must never do this, because the risk is too high, and you can easily become prey to cybercriminals.
When that film was released in the cinema, many us awe of the fact that the main character could buy a pizza online and receive it at the door of his house, because the truth is that a couple of decades ago ecommerce was seen by most of the common people as something still very far away, although it is clear the companies already had begun to project and plan for this kind of business strategy.
With the passage of the years, e-commerce was introduced into society and was gaining ground, that even today many opted to acquire the most various articles across platforms online official, stores or through online auction sites, since this gives us a real comfort, but above all by the fact that we can to make the purchase with peace of mind to make sure that the product is you are looking for.
And while online shopping have become a part of our lives, and it represents one of the biggest advantages of the Internet, on the other hand no doubt that also carries some risks, which often makes that consumers may ultimately say not to buy through this platform.
What is worse, some risk without knowing very well what they are care that they must have in your information, and above all to the receipt of your credit cards, so it can be swindled by the malicious, that have been found on the Internet a new modality of crime.
In short, while global statistics show that online shopping has grown in the last years of exponentially, also on the other hand has increased crime related to this field. Therefore, before carrying out any trade via the Internet is extremely important to take into account a series of guidelines that will help you avoid being scammed.
Is not only that I may buy a product that never comes, but also about what is done with the personal information that we have provided during the purchase. And while we must not panic and resort to not return to buy online, we should Yes be careful, since this is the only way to be sure that the transaction by e-commerce that we are making does not bring us headaches or major economic problems.
Here we present just some essential guidelines to keep in mind before and during online shopping.
First step: PC, browser and mobile device
Before carrying out any type of commercial Internet transaction and even before registering in a store online or an auction site, it is extremely important to keep our equipment, i.e. from where they could get to make purchases, either our PC or our electronic devices safe from possible attacks.These must be updated and protected with anti-virus and anti-spyware, software that must also be perfectly updated.This is because to make purchases online must enter personal data and sensitive information, such as numbers and codes of our credit cards, and now we know that there are malicious programs that can steal this information.
Another essential aspect is to keep updated the web browser we use, and also an excellent alternative is to install any extension available browser anti-phishing filter, which will help us to protect ourselves from sites using phishing, since this type of filter notify us when they detected a web site that generates some distrust.
Second step: choose sites where to buy
As important as keep updated our PC or mobile device, as well as our web browser, is to take the time to know reliably which sites is convenient to buy and what not. And the truth is that although this may seem a complicated task, not take us more than a few minutes to find out the reputation of the store or auction site.In this sense, one of the best options is to resort to using those sites who have recommended us to friends and family, in which they have the experience of having made transactions without drawbacks. Otherwise, we can do a quick search in forums and Web sites, where you will surely find many comments from users who have had a good or a bad experience when you buy.
Of course there are also sites where we can buy with total confidence, due to his career and reputation, as it is the case of Amazon, e-Bay and MercadoLibre, clear that in these cases we must also check the reputation of the seller who offers its products in these auction sites. We can also resort to official online stores of well-known companies.
It is very important before registering and make any transaction through these websites carefully read the privacy policies of the site, promptly in what refers to the collection of your personal data and what they will do with this information, since the truth is that many companies currently use our information further than the purchase transactionfor example to send us emails with offers, or even to transmit these data to third parties, which will make us suffer the constant receipt of spam.
Third step: review of the product and the conditions
Before buying a product, it is essential to be sure of what we are going to buy to avoid being scammed, and then receive something that we're not fully satisfied. An excellent option is to Search the name and model of the item on YouTube, where you will surely find several reviews of the product in which we are interested, and ultimately the most important thing, the opinion of users, who can guide us in deciding to buy or not.Another aspect to consider is be careful with the prices extremely low, so it is advisable to buy securities in the market, since in general when a vendor sells a product at a cost much lower than its competitors, it could be a trap, it is not always the case, but we must be aware of this.
Then, before you buy, we should seek answers to the following questions:
1. who is the seller?
2. how much will it cost the product? (including cost of shipping, taxes, currency conversion, etc.).
3. What do what I'm buying for that price?
4. is there a stock?
5 through which shipping method will I receive the product?
6. How can I pay the purchase?
7. How do I know if my order has been confirmed?
8. What personal information I requested?
9. what will you do with my data?
10. does the product warranty?
11. does the transaction safe?
12 where can I claim if something goes wrong?
Fourth step: sites with SSL encryption
To make purchases online is fundamental that we always use only secure websites, which means that we must make sure that our credit card data will be processed using a secure connection platform.The most common format in this case is the encryption known as Secure Sockets Layer or SSL, through which is encrypted so data this information cannot be decrypted and read by anyone who is outside the transaction.
To verify that the site in which we pay the product uses this security technology, we must revise some parameters within our web browser, which are listed below:
1. some browsers, depending on the configuration, we be notified with a message at the time at which we are entering an area or a safe place.
2. in the address bar of the browser, the start of the URL will change from "http" to "https", and in this case the "s" indicates that the site is secure.
3. also at the beginning of the URL you can reach the icon of a closed padlock appear what it symbolizes that the page in question is safe. Let us note that if the padlock is open, this will mean that the site is not secure.
4. in some cases you can also get to show is the site of a key.
Fifth step: care credit card
To make this type of electronic transactions is recommended to use a credit card that has protection from online fraud, and most companies and banks now offer credit cards that include special against scams such clauses.
Ideally, when we very often make shopping online we do so through payment with renowned services, as it is the case of MercadoPago or PayPal, since through this procedure, we avoid having to enter our card details anywhere, since in fact payment is not directly in the place where we purchase, but through the site's paid services, as for example with MercadoLibre and MercadoPago.
Sixth step: specify the purchase
At the moment in which we find ourselves making the purchase, must be very careful to enter the information that we are required, in order to avoid making errors of typing, by which is always recommended to check the information before you buy or send the details of the purchase.At the end of the purchase process, most often is that we receive in our mailbox an email sent by the site in which we made the purchase, which is similar to having a provisional proof of the transaction, and which tend to be detailed the order number, the product description and the estimated date of delivery.
Anyway, during the confirmation of your purchase, we will see that all the data in a form, will be displayed in the browser window which is convenient to save, and that we can do it in PDF format, or directly to print this page, either taking a screenshot.
Finally, and essential ...
When making a purchase on the Internet consider all guidelines detailed above, it is very possible that we have no problems, and that the experience has been so good that the return to repeat.However, one further aspect to bear in mind, and something that is really essential is not to shop from computers of others or in public, PCs e.g. in Internet cafes, as well not through third-party connections, as it could be from our notebook but through the Wi-Fi connection in a bar.
We must never do this, because the risk is too high, and you can easily become prey to cybercriminals.