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Online Shoppers Should Be Cautious This Holiday Season

Online shopping is an excellent way to avoid crowded stores and get holiday shopping done without leaving the home. However shoppers should be careful when buying from certain sites.

The Better Business Bureau encourages shoppers to check the website's security settings. If the site is secure, its address should start with “https://” or there will be a picture of a small closed lock in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

Shoppers are also encouraged to always pay with a credit card or PayPal. If a customer suspects fraud or they do not receive their order, they can challenge the charge, or it is possible to dispute charges to their card.

Do some research and know the company’s return policy and whether they have restocking fees or charge for shipping on returns.

“If you don’t know about a particular shop online, search for it, and you will find some information from people who have had experience with that,” Southeast Missouri State University cybersecurity professor Vijay Anand said.

Anand said customers should never buy from a site that has just been developed within the last couple of days or if it has exceptionally bad ratings. Customers should try to avoid entering credit card information on a site they have never heard of before.

“There should be no fear about online shopping,” Anand said. “If you use a proper service for your shopping online, you are as protected as you would be locally.”

 
 

Jami Black was an intern reporter for KRCU from 2013-2014.