The statistics speak for themselves: the vast majority of Internet users make more than one purchase a month in e-commerce and a high percentage are victims of online fraud and scams. According to IAB Spain’s 2021 e-commerce 2021 study, more than 70% of Internet users make several online purchases a month, but the search for the best prices online can also lead to falling into the traps of cybercriminals.
World Internet Day is celebrated every May 17.The aim of this event is to promote the use of technology and remind society of how it and the Internet can help improve our daily lives. This year, the celebration coincides with a generalized and sustained increase in prices and a decrease in the saving capacity of households that can lead Spaniards to fall into online fraud when looking for the best prices.
Faced with this problem, Chollometro experts remind the aspects that every buyer should know to avoid scams in online shopping. The platform of offers on the network points out five basic aspects to buy online safely:
Pay attention to the appearance of the ecommerce and take into account the opinions of other users: the ‘look and feel’ of the website is important as scammers often create poorly constructed pages that mimic the real thing. Also, do a little research on the experiences of other online users who have made purchases to know if you can trust it or not.
Look out for and compare prices whenever possible: bargain hunting online shopping is easy if you know how, but many times extremely low prices turn into scams. To make sure it is true you should always compare prices with other sellers.
Check the allowed payment methods: The more payment methods the website allows, the more reliable it is, so it is advisable to study the possibilities it offers when making the purchase. The ecommerce that only allow transfers or Western Union payments can be frauds.
Confirm that the website has an SSL certificate: the HTTPS certificate ensures the privacy of the data of the users who buy in the ecommerce and avoids that they can be leaked. Almost all websites have this security certificate that indicates that it is legitimate.
Check the legal information of the website: the ecommerce legal notice and privacy policy should reflect who is behind the company. Failure to locate the company’s VAT number, company name or other company data may be an indicator that it is a scam.
In addition, Chollometro experts remind that “it is essential to look for the best deals always in contrasted platforms, with a team of experts behind, that guarantee the user that he is acquiring a product at the best price and avoiding any type of fraud”.
