The Internet has gradually entered our lives, rapidly developing, and now we spend most of our lives in virtual space. Here we communicate with each other, follow the world news and, of course, make all kinds of purchases. The advantage is that the Internet can easily travel long distances, but it has also become easier for fraudsters to trick their victims using specially designed websites.
Something is stopping you from paying online, although you know that it will be more convenient? Or do you just not feel comfortable in the network space? In any case, you will find some tips that will teach you how to check the online store before making online purchases.
Http or https?
If you liked a product and you visited the site with the intention to make a purchase, be sure to look at the URL of the page. If you see https on www, then there is nothing to worry about - you are on a resource with a valid certificate. But in the case of http, be more careful: never provide information from your credit card on such a page, but rather leave it.
Find contacts
Before buying, be sure to look at ways to contact the company. Find the email address, phone number and name of the contact person to contact them in case of a problem. Better yet, call the number before you buy, and then request information for review. This is especially important, for example, when booking and paying online for your place of residence.
Check company
The Internet is an endless database, so you should use it. If you have any doubts about a particular site, it is worth checking the company and its contact details for your own peace of mind.
So you can find out if the company is registered, what is its income, and get more information about who it belongs to. Also see if this website has a social media page, what content is published on it, and what kind of activity is there.
What do other customers say?
When browsing the Internet, you can find reviews from other customers who will either reassure you or discourage you from initiating a transaction. On the page of the online store on social networks, read a few opinions of customers and compare them. In addition, you can also get more information about the company in various thematic forums.
Set up an online security service!
As of September of this year, the service of security codes on the Internet will become mandatory throughout the European Union. Therefore, it is worth setting it now to ensure the safety of online payments using a randomly generated one-time security code via SMS. Cardholders can apply for the service both online and at branches.
The security code service will become mandatory starting September 14, 2019, so cardholders will only be able to pay for purchases online if they have activated this service. For purchases within the European Union, in addition to card information, a randomly generated one-time security code received via SMS will be required to confirm online payment.