If you wondering, “is online shopping safe,?” don’t worry, the short answer is yes. However, it is important to note that there are inherent online shopping risks. Therefore, when shopping online it is essential to consider some online shopping safety tips.

The first basic rule of safe online shopping is to always use your credit card and never your debit card. Should someone obtain your credit card number and make fraudulent charges it is very easy to dispute these charges with your credit card provider and you likely won’t have to pay.Most credit card companies actually offer automatic identity theft protection. In the case of a debit card, however, things are a bit more tricky as the money is taken right out of your account once someone makes a purchase. You can likely dispute the charge, of course, but it might take some time before the bank puts the stolen money back into your account which can be highly problematic, especially if someone has racked up thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges.

Also, be careful about purchasing things over public networks, like on public WiFi. When you enter your credit card information into sites over public internet connections, your personal information is much more vulnerable to hackers. Therefore, it can be a good idea to limit online shopping to private, secure networks. On a similar note, also be wary of making purchases on public computers, like at the library. This also makes your personal information more vulnerable to theft.

And of course, when shopping online it is a good idea to follow some basic safety online guidelines. First of all, absolutely never give out your social security number online. And of of course, only frequent reputable websites. When you visit websites that are unsecured, you put your computer at greater risks for viruses and yourself at greater risk for fraud. Overall, however, with a few safety tips and some common sense online shopping can be safe and secure.