Majority of Consumers Still Have Concerns on Online Shopping Safety

An overwhelming majority (70%) of consumers either don’t shop online or do so with concerns about their safety while navigating the Internet. This was the result of a recent survey of IT security expert Avira where only 30 percent of 2,945 respondents felt secure enough to be worry free as they shop online.

Sorin Mustaca, data security expert from Avira, justified the respondents’ safety concerns:

“Because of the continued data breaches, phishing attacks, and security vulnerabilities, that get reported on almost every day, consumers have every right to not feel 100 percent safe while they shop online.”

She proceeded with recommendations on how not to become a victim of online fraudsters:

Always check the connection to the online store to ensure that the payment is done in secured environment. This may be simple but try to observe if the URL starts with “https” and if a small lock is present at the top right corner of the browser. If the browser gives any warnings about the security certificate of the website, then do not proceed.

Always check for a website’s reputation. Search for other users who are commenting about the website. It usually tells you the reputation of the site.

Try to choose payment methods which don’t require payment upfront. If PayPal is an option, choose that whenever possible. Use your credit card only if you’ve ensured the safety and reputation of the website.

Always double check your bank accounts to make sure the amount you spent is the amount that was charged.

These tips are so elementary but easily ignored by people. Do you feel safe shopping online?