How to stay safe and avoid online shopping scams

How to stay safe and avoid online shopping scams

Several retailers and e-commerce sites are running big holiday sales like Black Friday, which is the time when hackers remain most active and have their shopping scams ready. Following this, McAfee has issued a warning to users and given tips on how one can spot an online shopping scam.

How to spot an online shopping scamBeware of fake emails/URLs

McAfee has also warned users to be aware of email addresses and URLs that look quite similar to addresses of legitimate companies and retailers. One might often see them in phishing emails offering great deals and the moment you click on them, they will lead you to scam sites that can then steal your login credentials, payment info, or even funds when you try to place an order through the fake site.

The best way to avoid this mistake is to visit the retailer’s official site and see if the deal is real. Users should be skeptical of any links they receive by email, text, or direct message. One can also use comprehensive online protection software that can help prevent your browser from loading suspicious sites and warn you of suspicious sites in your search results.

Closely inspect sites, apps..

It is sometimes difficult to find out a fake site or apps, so one way to avoid counterfeit shopping apps is to go to the original source. Just go to the retailer’s website on your mobile browser and look for a link to the app from their website. Likewise, one should always stick to the legitimate app stores such as Play Store and App Store, and avoid downloading apps from any other source as both Google and Apple have a security system to scan fake or malicious apps.

“Some can sneak through before being detected though, so look for the publisher’s name in the description and ensure it is legitimate. On a fake app, the name may be close to the retailer you’re looking for, but not quite right. Other signs of a fake will include typos, poor grammar, and design that looks a bit off,” McAfee explained in a blog post.

Be aware of the “too good to be true” offer..

The holiday season is almost here, so users will likely find special limited-time period offers on SMS and other social media platforms. But, users should not blindly believe them. McAfee says one should enter the “too good to be true” offer online and if the pricing, availability, or delivery time all look too good to be true, then one should take that as a sign. This could be a scam, which has been designed to harvest your personal info and accounts. If you still can’t find anything about a product or retailer, then you should also read reviews from trusted websites to help see if the site or product is legitimate.

Beware of email attachments that pretend to be from legitimate retailers...

McAfee says the most common scam hackers use is introducing malware via email attachments, and during the holiday sale season, they often send malware under the guise of offering emails and shipping notifications. Users should know that retailers and shipping companies would never really send their customers things like offers, promo codes, and tracking numbers in attachments. The companies “will clearly call those things out in the body of an email instead,” McAfee said.

Look for the lock icon...

One should be aware of the fact that secure websites begin their address with “https,” and not with “http.” That extra “s” in the URL stands for “secure,” which means that it uses a secure protocol for transmitting sensitive info like passwords, credit card numbers, and the like over the internet.

Don’t shop using public Wi-Fi...

McAfee asserts that public Wi-Fi in coffee shops and other public locations can expose your private surfing to prying eyes because those networks are open to all. So, users can use a trusted virtual private network (VPN) as that will encrypt their browsing, shopping, and other internet traffic. This will make it a bit difficult for the hackers to intercept your data on public Wi-Fi and harvest information such as your passwords and credit card numbers. For more tips on how you can shop for things online,