Cyber Safety: Avoiding online shopping scams

 

Since the pandemic, online shopping has become more and more popular.

People buy any items they need with just a few clicks.

But in those few clicks, it's just as easy to get taken advantage of by scammers looking to make a quick buck.

In the U.S, about one in ten adults fall victim to scams or fraud every year, with the majority taking place online.

Now, before you click "buy" there are a couple things you should check.

Jan Diaz, Vice President from the Better Business Bureau serving Northern Indiana tells ABC57:

“So, we tell individuals look closely at the domain name, look at the URL. A lot of times, if they're trying to mimic amazon.com, they'll it'll, it'll have a letter that's missing. Or it'll say Amazon and with an M, instead of an "N" just little things like that, that people, if they don't know to look for it, they won't.”

So, if there are spelling or grammatical errors, that's a red flag.

Another thing to look out for is "H-T-T-P-S" In the U-R-L.

There should also be a little padlock icon in the address bar.

Before you start shopping, double check to make sure you are on the right website and that you aren't being tricked by a third party.

You can always go to the BBB's website and look up the rating of the business, to see if others have had issues with them.

Accredited businesses are going to have a good rating and are most likely cyber-safe.

If you're going to shop online, it's recommended you use a credit card instead of a debit card.

Typically, if you're scammed on a credit card the company will often reimburse you if you report it.

But if you use a debit card that money comes from your bank account and it's gone for good.