7 Precautionary Tips To Avoid Online Retail Frauds

It has become so common to shop online. But online retail fraud is forecast to hit $500 million this year, with about a third of that occurring during the holiday shopping season.

So, as a smart shopper, it just takes a little common sense to keep your shopping trips safe. Below are a few precautionary tips to avoid online retail frauds.

1. Buy from authorized dealers. Shoppers tend to feel safe shopping online when they see that the online merchants are authorized dealers. So do I. If you are going to shop for Kohler sinks , make sure that you check if the online merchant is one of the authorized dealers.

2. Find a phone number. This is one of the most important ways to check out online merchants. If they have a phone number front-and-center on their Web sites, you can be sure they’re committed to customer service. If you need to hunt for the number–or you can’t find one at all–they may be less committed.

3. Never Buy From Spammers. This becomes more difficult, as some of the unsolicited deals that arrive in your mailbox actually look pretty good. And some of them are from familiar companies. So how bad could they be?

Very, if we are to enforce the idea that spam is an unacceptable marketing tool. So if you get word on a name-brand opportunity through spam, contact the company directly and ask for the same deal. Remember: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

4. Use credit cards, not debit cards. It may be tempting to spend digital cash instead of running up charges, but debit cards typically have limited fraud-tracking capabilities.

A crook that acquires your debit account number can drain your checking account and wreak havoc with your personal finances.

5. Check for security. Don’t enter any information into an online form unless you are certain that the Web site is secure. The tip-offs are graphics of a key or lock. The key is broken and the lock is open if the Web page is not secure. It’s also your clear indication that the merchant doesn’t have its act together.

6. Never give personal data. Even if the site is apparently secure, don’t release personal information that the merchant doesn’t need.

7. Look for Truste symbol. Sites displaying the Truste symbol are at least committed to providing a reasonable level of protection.

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