Online shopping has brought about a great convenience for those that do not want to go out of their homes just to check out the latest stuff. With more localized online shops, people do not have to worry too much about shipping costs either. However, this doesn’t mean that you can let your guard down even though the place where you are ordering from is near and legitimate.

These tips will ensure that you shop safe online

Scan your system for malware

Many forms of malware are there to annoy you and consume system resources. There might be others that are more lethal acting as key loggers that can obtain personal account information including your credit card information. Many of the top commercial anti-virus software including some freeware solutions can detect these key loggers. So be sure you have one installed and do a full scan before making any purchases.

Upgrade your operating system and browser

If you found some suspicious malware in your system, you might be wondering how the malware managed to get in there in the first place. Most likely it is due to a vulnerability within the computer system that the malware took advantage of. Check for updates in your operating system as patches are released to prevent these exploits. Do the same for your browser as well for an extra layer of security.

Carefully look at the site Address before making any transactions

The latest browsers include anti-phishing technologies that can detect fake shopping websites that do nothing but keep your details for malicious use. These anti-phishing technologies aren’t perfect and may not identify all sites. But if you have a good eye, you can tell immediately if the site is fake by looking at the address. Check the domain and make sure that the home page is the actual online store.

Read any supplied terms and conditions

If you are buying an item from an individual or group, some terms and conditions may be laid out regarding any shipping policies, warranties and other important notes about the product. Not reading this valuable information may lead you to purchase the wrong item. Some sellers may offer the same product, but different terms and conditions, so it always helps to read all the details.

Double check your shopping cart or order

After you added all of your desired products in the shopping cart, the simple next step is to proceed to check out and supplying the payment information and shipping details. Before you hit that “Send” button, double check all of the items to see if anything is missing. Calculate the amounts yourself and see if the numbers match.…