Do you want to treat yourself to something but don’t want to get out of bed to do it? Easy. You need just a few clicks, and it will be at your door by tomorrow. Most people prefer to shop from their phones or laptops rather than walk to a physical store and search for products. Online shopping opens the door for Australian consumers to worldwide brands, flash sales, and even unique products that wouldn’t normally be available in their country. But, while you can easily get lost clicking on websites and checking out their products, you’re probably not paying enough attention to cybersecurity risks.

What Are the Pros of Online Shopping?

One of the best things about shopping online is that it’s easy. You don’t need to leave your house to look around, compare prices, and buy things. Stores aren’t busy, they work 24/7, and the lines aren’t long. Most of the time, online shops have more products than physical stores. You can get things from all over the world, which gives you more choices. The more, the better, right?

When you shop online, the things you buy are sent right to your door. No need to worry about carrying heavy bags or finding transportation. What’s also amazing is that many online stores offer hassle-free return policies. If you don’t like the products, you can return them. Lastly, if you want to save a couple of bucks, you can compare different products more easily through your phone. Also, special online deals, flash sales, and coupons can brighten your day and push you to buy the product faster.

Online shopping is great, that’s for sure. But, if you’re not careful of scammers, they can ruin your shopping experience for good.

Common Scams That Target Online Shoppers

Unfortunately, more and more online scams have appeared with the growth of e-commerce. If you’re shopping from Australia, you need to be careful of these typical scams:

Phishing Scams

These are the most common ones. Scammers send out fake emails or messages that tell you to click on certain links to verify your purchase or payment details. Plenty of Australians click on them because the emails and messages look like they’re from a real store. If you click on a link like that, it can steal your personal information.

Fake Online Sites

Some scammers create fake online sites that look like legitimate stores. These websites tease you with amazing discounts and deals to get you to place an order. Once that order arrives, you get a cheap copy or a completely different product.

Non-Delivery Scams

The name is pretty self-explanatory. You order something from a fake website while paying for it with a credit card. The seller disappears after receiving the payment, leaving you without your product or money.

Payment Fraud

Scammers might intercept your payment information while you’re checking out. This can result in unauthorized charges on your card or even identity theft.

How to Avoid These Scams and Stay Safe

Let’s take a look at a few tips that can help you improve your safety while shopping online.

Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

You need a VPN for a phone if you love shopping from yours. Hackers will find it harder to access your personal and financial information because a VPN encrypts your internet connection. This helpful tool keeps your online activities safe and private. So, browse for products as much as you want.

Shop From Reliable Stores

Always shop from reliable stores. Check ratings and reviews from other consumers about a certain website to see if it’s legitimate. After all, Google will tell you everything.

Check for HTTPS

Before entering any personal information or payment details, check if the website’s URL starts with “https” and has a padlock symbol next to it. This ensures that your data is securely encrypted on the site.

Avoid Public Wi-Fi for Transactions

When shopping online, it’s not safe to shop while connected to public Wi-Fi. If you must use public Wi-Fi, ensure you’re connected to a VPN to protect your data.

Keep an Eye on Your Accounts

Check your bank and credit card records often to see if anyone has made unauthorized charges. If something looks fishy, you should tell your bank right away.

What Are Some Other Perks of Using Cybersecurity Measures?

For starters, with a VPN, you can also access online shops that aren’t available in Australia. Some websites adjust prices based on your location. If you use a VPN, you can change your location and perhaps find better deals in other countries. Apart from online privacy, a VPN prevents other people from seeing what sites you visit and selling that information to advertisers.

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