Six tips to help you shop safely online

It makes sense to be as careful with online shopping as you are on the High Street. Help protect yourself from the potential financial, time and emotional impact of identity fraud with these handy tips.

Online shopping can help make our lives more convenient and allow us to get the best prices on anything from food to clothes, from homeware to gadgets. Three out of four of us shopped online in 2015 and more services and goods are available on the internet each day.

But buying online carries its own risks, especially when the way we act online can sometimes be less careful than in a real-world situation. By following these tips, you can shop more safely online, helping reduce the risk of identity fraud being carried out in your name.

Any information you input about yourself into shopping forms or account sign-ups is stored somewhere digitally. So it’s crucial you take care to prevent that information getting into the wrong hands.

Six tips for safer online shopping

1. Check you’re on a secure site

   You should only enter sensitive personal information into forms on secure websites. There are several things you can look for, starting with ‘https’ at the start of the web address, rather than ‘http’. You can also check for a padlock symbol in the web address bar. Clicking on this symbol should provide additional security information, though this will depend on your browser.

2. Do your checks before buying

   Before making a purchase with an online shop you haven’t used before, do a web search to see what other people have said about it. Check user reviews or try searching the name and ‘scam’ to see if anything comes up. You can also check a website is legitimate using free tools like Norton’s Safeweb.

3. Avoid using public Wi-Fi

   You should always take care when using public Wi-Fi for anything – including browsing the web – because it’s more difficult to ensure your connection is secure. As a rule, you should avoid online purchases that ask you to input any sensitive data – including bank card details – while on an untrusted connection.

4. Be wary of email offers and clicking links

   Phishing emails attempt to obtain your sensitive information by disguising themselves as legitimate. For instance, you might get an email pretending to be from a well-known online retailer offering bargain price reductions. These emails can be very convincing, and even when you click through to the ‘offer’ the website may look and feel like a genuine retailer. But if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you’re in any doubt about an email offer, don’t click on the link. Instead, visit the retailer’s official website via your browser and try to find the deal. Or you could email their customer services for confirmation it’s genuine.

5. Update your browser

   Updating your web browser regularly is important. This often provides security fixes, as well as the latest encryption software and an updated database of secure sites. This will better allow you to check whether the websites you’re using to shop online are secure.

6. Only enter the information you need to

   Put simply, the less sensitive information you enter into account sign-up or checkout forms, the less chance there is for your identity to be compromised. Take care to only enter the information that’s required (usually indicated by a * symbol on online forms). If you’re suspicious about the amount of information requested, use a search engine to check the retailer’s credentials. You should also avoid saving your credit or debit card details with online retailers, especially with those you rarely use.

To help protect against ID fraud, you should also regularly check your bank statements for irregularities or payments you don’t recognise. If you find anything you don’t think should be there, contact your bank directly.

Where can I go for more advice?

Useful advice and public service sites to help protect yourself online:

Get Safe Online

Cifas - Identity Fraud

Action Fraud

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