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Tips to Shop Safer Online and Protect Your Privacy

Internet shopping is very common these days. People prefer to place their orders online and receive them on their doorstep. It is a convenient way to buy things that you need. You must have a secure internet connection because you share your information online, if you have an ISP like Spectrum, you can contact Spectrum customer service to find out if you are getting security service or not.

According to the FBI, there have been many thefts online where people lost their data. In the year 2019, the online FBI crime department received more than 1000 complaints in a single day. Most of the complaints came from people who did online shopping. Most people fall under scams by placing orders on shady websites. Some people don’t receive the product they pay for and when they try to change it, they are asked to pay a heavy amount of shipment fee.

Hence, we have brought an entire rundown of tips that will permit you to shop online and ensure your security all the while.

Buy an online security suite

One of the best ways to protect your privacy when using the internet is by getting your hand onto a viable security suite. Online shopping is no different. Within the influx of products and information that is shared online, security has become an important concern, because identity theft protection and anti-phishing programs are now a higher priority than ever.

Security suites are expensive but it is important to invest in it because it keeps you secure. However, if you cannot afford to pay for it, you should get internet security. You can contact your internet service provider and ask them to provide you anti-virus service, that keeps your browsing safe. You can dial the customer service number to get the security service.

Shop from authorized retailers

You should buy stuff from legitimate online stores. To find out which store is authentic and legal, you can read the reviews of people who have already used that website. You can also ask people around you, from where do they shop.

You can easily find out about authentic online stores because they are branded and people trust them. For instance, Amazon is a trusted website from where you can buy stuff without caring about the information that you put into the website. Moreover, you should bookmark the website that you frequently used for shopping and that you have found safe for yourself. If you are careful about the places from where you are sure you can reduce the risk of losing your personal information.

Don’t use public Wi-Fi

Most of us love the idea of free internet or Wi-Fi, little do we know harmful it can be. We have a trend to use public Wi-Fi hotspots where we get free internet because who doesn’t like free internet.  The truth is when you connect your devices with public Wi-Fi you give access to that connection, through which any hacker can have an access to your device. This is the reason why you should avoid using public Wi-Fi hotspot because it is not secure.

Moreover, shopping online requires you to give out the data, and identity thieves would love to steal the name, your address, and the credit card number, that you put on the website.

Use a VPN

VPN or Virtual Private Network is designed to keep your online browsing safe insecure. VPN is like a tunnel through which you pass without giving your IP address to any website. Through a VPN you get an encoded path between the server and your computer.

The cybercriminals who are seeking, will not have the option to see your online activities or they won’t be able to have an access to your data.

VPN is the best way to do your online shopping without any fear of being hacked. Except VPN, SOCKS5 proxy list also provides valuable service to ensure online security.

Use strong passwords

A solid password resembles the safe lock that will keep you safe from cybercriminals and it will protect your Private data. According to professionals, there are some rules to make your password more strong,

don’t use any dictionary words. You should not use information that is personal, or that is easy to be guests like the name of your child or his birth date.

  • You should use a combination of lower and capital letters, symbols, and numbers.
  • Your password should not be too short, and it can be a phrase including all the criteria of a strong password.
  • Don’t you reuse your password on different websites because it will become easy for a hacker to hack all your account if he can hack only one of them?

Wrapping up

The online world has its challenges, and you have to stay safe in the online world as you try to stay safe in the physical world. If you are not careful about sharing your personal information online, you can become a victim of personal theft, and you might end up losing important information. All this can be avoided if you know how to stay protected and safe online.

Jeff Campbell