The explosion ofe-commercesites has changed how we shop today, providing access to millions ofonline storeswith almost unlimited selections.
Just as you would take basic precautions in a brick-and-mortar store — perhaps hiding your PIN number while paying and making sure the business is legitimate — you should also practice safe shopping habits online.
Here are eight ways you can avoidfake websitesand otheronlinescamsand ensure that you’re dealing withlegitimate companiesand safeonline stores.
Use the free McAfee WebAdvisor to check for safe sites
One of the best ways to tell if anonline storeis legit and avoiddebitandcredit cardscams,domain nameand subdomain name takeovers, and other problems is with a free and effective download like McAfee WebAdvisor.
This smart tool helps you surf and shop with confidence, protecting you from malicious sites that can contain:
- Adware:Pop-upsthat might be infected withmalware
- Spyware:Software downloaded without the user’s consent, perhaps passing on sensitive personal information to advertisers or cybercriminals.
- Viruses:Pieces of code that can copy themselves and typically have a negative effect, such as slowing down your system or destroying data
- Phishingscams:Whenhackerssend duplicitous emails designed to trick people into falling for ascamto reveal financial information, system credentials, or other sensitive data
McAfee WebAdvisor is a free browser extension that downloads quickly and installs easily, working in the background automatically to protect you frommalwareandphishingas you surf, search, and enjoyonline shopping.
McAfee WebAdvisor works with Windows 10, 8.1, 8, and 7 (32- and 64-bit) computers and is compatible with these browsers:
- Internet Explorer 10.0 or later
- Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
- Microsoft Edge (Windows 10 only; Fall Creators Update required)
- Mozilla Firefox
- GoogleChrome
Here areother waysto make sure you know when you’re dealing withscammersonline.
Check thepadlockin theaddress bar
When checking ane-commercesite’s credentials, start with theaddress bar. Often,hackerswill use URLs that are very close to the real site’s URL but not quite the same. Look fortyposor use Google to see if a search takes you to the same page. Also, look for apadlockicon in theaddress bar.
Click thepadlockand look at the drop-down menu that provides information, such as if the site has a valid certificate likeSSL(verifying that theweb addressbelongs to the company), how many cookies are in use, other site settings, and whether your information is safe when sent to this site.
The protection is pretty good but not perfect since some cybercriminals have been able to replicate thesepadlocksor take overlegitimate sitesthat have them.
Verify the website’strust seal
Trust seals, such as theTrustedSite certification, are stamps created by a certificate authority (CA) to confirm the legitimacy of a site. A trust seal tells visitors that they are on a safe site and the company that displays the mark prioritizescybersecurity. Click on it, and you should be taken to awebpagethat verifies theauthenticityof thetrust seal.
Use the GoogleTransparency Report
Google’sSafe Browsingtechnology crawls through billions ofweb addressesevery day on the lookout for unsafe websites. The technology discovers thousands daily — oftenlegitimate sitesthat have been compromised. Warnings for unsafe sitespop upin your browser and on the Googlesearch engine. You can alsosearch specific URLsto see if a site has been compromised.
Check the company’ssocial mediapresence
It’s worth checking a company onsocial mediato see if they appear to have a genuine following and legitimate posts. TheBetter Business Bureau(BBB) also has suggestions for spotting fakesocial mediaaccounts, including those onLinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You should look for:
- Accounts with poor or no content and stock or recycled images
- Poor engagement with followers
- Lack of transparency about who runs the account
- Phony reviews
- Links tophishingscamsandmalware
Review the company’s contact info
Another way to test the legitimacy of an online retail store is to check itscontact information. Does it have aphysical address,phone number, and email contact? Does the email address on thecontact pagehave the companydomain namein it, or is it generic (like aGmailaddress)? If you send an email, does it get delivered?
Analyze the overall look of the website
Check to see if thee-commercesite looks as if it has been professionally produced or whether it has been thrown together with slapdash results. Are theretypos, grammar errors, poor-quality images, and a sloppy design? Does it have a poorly wordedreturn policyor noreturn policyat all?
All the things that undermine the professional appearance andauthenticityof a site should bered flagsand convince you that you’re on ascam website.
Verify if there are company reviews
If the online company is alegitimate website(not ascam site) and has been around for a while, there should be authentic third-party reviews from previous customers. Review sites includeGoogle My Business,Amazon, andYelp.
If the reviews are uniformly bad, on the other hand, you have another type of problem to confront.
See how McAfee WebAdvisor can keep you safe whileshopping online
Since virtual shopping is fast becoming the new norm, it’s important to guard against cybercriminals that are increasingly targeting retailers and their customers. A great way to shop with confidence is to useMcAfee WebAdvisor, which is available as a free download.
The web browser extension works tirelessly in the background to protect you as you browse and buy. Think of it as agift to yourselfso you can use the internet to its full potential while keeping your information protected.
Try McAfee+ today for worry-free, all-in-one online protection for your privacy!
