According to Statista’s 2023 research, UK shoppers would rather shop online than offline. That being said, most UK citizens spend at least the same amount online rather than offline.
But cheaters like those places the most where the real money is. That’s why online attacks and cheats have increased in the last couple of years. The most annoying thing is, these cheats would be easily detectable, and recognizable even before the attack. We only need to focus and look closely.
This article will show you some of the techniques that will lead you to more secure online shopping.
Only use secure sites for shopping online!
The positive aspect of this part is that websites are safer than ever. Browsers, like Google or Firefox, do not let their users click on unauthorized sites or sites which don’t include protections.
However, a well-known protection is in front of your eyes, you only need to recognize it. Do you ever wonder why some sites’ URL codes start with the word “https”, but some only with the word “http”? Well, that “s” comes from the word “secure”, which is a universal marking to those sites that have an SSL certificate.
An SSL certificate is given to those websites which use SSL encryption. With this encryption, the cheaters can’t get access to the users’ private data, since when they have a chance to get access to them, it’s already encrypted. Luckily, they can’t retrieve the original data once it is encrypted!
The most prominent web browsers tag “http” or non-SSL certificated sites with a “not secure” slogan, and that’s what makes potential customers totally uninterested in clicking on a site like this. By 2024, almost 9/10 companies use SSL encryptions, which include all the trustworthy ones. Simply: if a website is not secure, do not click on it because it’s a risky choice.
How to get an SSL certification quickly?
And how about, if you want to ensure safe shopping on your website? In that case, earning an SSL certificate is a must-have thing to do!
There are two ways to get this certificate:
- Get one from the certificate authority! In this case, in exchange for the money that you transferred to the certificate authority, they check your website. If they find everything in the perfect shape, they deliver you the private key.
- Or the easier way: buy an eco-friendly Web Hosting service, where the package contains a free SSL certificate alongside the other crucial features. Luckily, Rackhost.uk’s web hosting plans all contain free SSL certificates, so grab one to save money, and to save yourself from unnecessary work!
Be suspicious every time!
This title is basically a bit of life-long advice. Be a little suspicious of everything, and everyone, and we can guarantee that you will face fewer negative scenarios.
In this part, we are specifically thinking of those websites that require too much data to go through the buying process. First, the GDPR laws guarantee that many of us can continue using a designated site without accepting non-essential cookies. If the site doesn’t work properly after refusing to accept them, simply switch to another site. They can’t legally do that.
Also, if the website has slow-load times, or looks awful, rather choose another one, than use that one for expensive purchases. Although these characteristics don’t always mean they try to trick you, but the chance is bigger in a big sample.
Don’t share your card numbers all the time!
There are two types of websites.
If they have contracts with your bank, they can put them into the payment phase. What should that look like? After you choose your wished products, and go to maybe “buy them now”, the website directs you to your bank’s main site, and you can type down your card numbers there. This is a super easy mechanism, and this is 100% secure. Cheaters can’t get access to your card numbers because those are never really appeared on the actual website.
On the other hand, sometimes there is no real connection between your bank and the website, and that can lead to some panic. Potentially, data thieves can hack the website (which is less protected than your bank’s website), and gain this personal information quite efficiently. What can be the solution in that case?
PayPal, one more defensive layer!
PayPal can! Paypal operates an online payment system, and with that, you can pay on most of the online websites. However, you don’t need to transfer money to your PayPal account if you don’t want to. You can attach your credit card to your account, and therefore you don’t need to give your card numbers to unauthorized websites.
PayPal is a trustful company, with so many certificates for storing this data carefully. If you make purchases with your PayPal account, (with money on it, or just an attached credit card), data thieves can’t get access to your data, by just cracking the site where you ordered. PayPal is a helmet that saves you when catastrophes occur.
Check reviews!
Who knows the best if a website is not functioning really well? Well, definitely the customer!
That’s why you better take a look into the buyers’ comments, before taking part in a dangerous activity. There are a lot of sites to check a website’s user rating. Trustpilot, G2, or even Google Reviews can help you aggregate the general review by others. However, we give you another option to make your rating more accurate.
Pissed consumer, a way to filter the thefts!
As the name stands for itself, on Pissedconsumer.com, you can face tremendous messages and comments from angry customers. Of course, not all of them are relevant today, and you shouldn’t make consequences based on the opinion of some offended users, but it’s still worth taking a look into these comments.
Personally, I realized that a website is definitely a catch when I browsed the comments on this website.
Rather listen to your brain than your heart!
The last one is again a very rational one. “Too good to be true!” Have you ever heard this saying?
The world of online shopping experience is full of moments like this. Deals come and go, but sometimes you can’t really believe what you see: the prices are so cheap, it seems unaffordable for the merchant. Most of the time, these giga-mega-super deals are actually complete frauds.
We recommend an analysis method, and with the help of that, you can more easily filter these catchy deals. Humans usually create a maximum price in their heads. If the price of a chosen product is more expensive than that they don’t buy the product. This is a very popular technique, and with it, you can avoid going into bankruptcy.
But this can’t prevent you from the cheaters. Their prices are usually much lower than the originals to convince you of a potential purchase. So determine minimum prices as well.
For example, if a Louis Vuitton perfume costs less than £100, you don’t purchase it from an unauthorized site. If you are not aware of the chosen products’ average price look after other deals. If one’s price is extremely lower than the others, and they are not the producer of the product, most of the time it is a fraud!
Conclusion
In conclusion, be aware of where, and how you order online, as one little mistake can lead you to the worst day of your life! And avoiding the trouble is so much easier, than getting out of it without wounds!
