How to Spot a Scam Website When Shopping Online
Shopping online is a convenient and sometimes cheaper option of getting the items you need without getting out of the comfort of your home. Millions of shopping sites exist online to cater to different buyers. Even though it is always advisable to shop with well established online vendors, sometimes that might not be possible, and you are forced to try out other sites. The risk is that if you are not careful, you could fall into the trap of online scammers.
Signs of Fraudulent Website
- No signs of authenticity: Look for the necessary indications such as a padlock or key on the URL bar that shows that the site is encrypted and your personal information cannot be stolen.
- Poorly designed websites: A website whose aim is to scam people will not put too much time and resources to create a professional design. You will notice that it might be difficult to navigate, and is not user friendly. Other than the design, you might also encounter a lot of grammatical errors and poor language.
- No contact details: Since the owners do not want to be found, they are not likely to give their contact details on the website. If they do, you will realise that it is sketchy, and most of the times does not have a physical address. If you are doubtful about the authenticity of the contact details given, try initiating contact and see if they will respond.
- Bad Online Reviews: Before you start shopping on a site, you should spend time doing research about it. If you find many people complaining about being scammed on the site, you should be very wary of it. Alternatively, if you cannot find any review, that could also be a red flag that the website is not legit.
Always do your due diligence in maintaining your cybersecurity while shopping online. Learn to trust your instincts. If something tells you something is wrong with the site, it probably is.
