5 Tips for Safe Online Shopping

1.Use Familiar Websites

Start at a trusted site. Search results can be rigged to lead you astray, especially when you drift past the first few pages of links. If you know the site, chances are it's less likely to be a rip-off. We all know Amazon.com carries everything under the sun; likewise, just about every major retail outlet has an online store, from Target to Best Buy to Home Depot. Beware of misspellings or sites using a different top-level domain (.net instead of .com, for example)—those are the oldest tricks in the book. Yes, sales on these sites might look enticing, but that's how they trick you into giving up your info.

2.Look for the Lock

Never buy anything online using your credit card from a site that doesn't have SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption installed—at the very least. You'll know if the site has SSL because the URL for the site will start with HTTPS—instead of just HTTP. An icon of a locked padlock will appear, typically to the left of the URL in the address bar or the status bar down below; it depends on your browser. HTTPS is standard now even on non-shopping sites, enough that Google Chrome flags any page without the extra S as "not secure." So a site without it should stand out even more.

3.Don't Overshare

No online shopping e-tailer needs your Social Security number or your birthday to do business. However, if crooks get them and your credit card number, they can do a lot of damage. The more scammers know, the easier it is to steal your identity. When possible, default to giving up as little personal data as possible. Major sites get breached all the time. 

4.Check Statements Regularly

Don't wait for your bill to come at the end of the month. Go online regularly during the holiday season and look at electronic statements for your credit card, debit card, and checking accounts. Look for any fraudulent charges, even originating from payment sites like PayPal and Venmo. (After all, there's more than one way to get to your money.)

5.Create Strong Passwords

We once asked PCMag readers if they frequently changed their passwords. Eleven percent claimed they did it every day, but those people are either paranoid, liars, or paranoid liars. The vast majority only change a password to protect privacy a few times a year (27 percent) or more likely, never (35 percent).

If you're going to be like the latter group, we will again beat this dead horse about making sure that you utilize untraceable passwords. It's never more important than when banking and shopping online. Our old tips for creating a unique password  can come in handy during a time of year when shopping around probably means creating new accounts on e-commerce sites.