Many of us are doing our holiday shopping online this year. Here are some tips to help avoid potential issues with your online orders.
5 tips for safe online shopping this holiday season
- Ship to a secure location. Avoid porch-pirate theft and ensure your package will be safe once it’s delivered. Learn more about how to avoid package theft.
- Buy from businesses you trust. Sometimes fake businesses pop up around the holidays (on things like social media) with the goal of gaining access to your credit card information. Play it safe and only buy products or services from business you trust and have shopped with before. Or at least spend the time to confirm it’s a legitimate business by checking reviews and consumer feedback.
- Avoid saving your credit card information on your accounts. This will reduce the risk of credit card fraud in the chance that the business you ordered from is not equipped to keep your personal information secure.
- Shop using a secure Wi-Fi connection. Do not use public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions like banking and online shopping. There could be people lurking around on public networks looking to gain access to your personal information.
- Don’t jump at the lowest price. If the price seems to good to be true, it probably is. Do a little digging and confirm the seller is legitimate, the business is reputable, and ensure you can find good reviews.
Did we miss anything? Share your best online shopping tips in the comments below!
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How to avoid “porch pirate” theft
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About Consumer Protection BC:
We are responsible for regulating specific industries and certain consumer transactions in British Columbia. If your concern is captured under the laws we enforce, we will use the tools at our disposal to assist you. If we can’t help you directly, we will be happy to provide you with as much information as possible. Depending on your concern, another organization may be the ones to speak to; other times, court or legal assistance may be the best option. Explore our website at www.consumerprotectionbc.ca.