With technology taking over a large part of our lives, recent years have seen more of the elderly embracing e-commerce for its greater convenience and reduced exposure to the COVID-19 virus during the pandemic. However, navigating the online shopping space can be tricky and many elderly might believe that shopping online automatically means falling prey to fraud. If you or your loved one are trying to add more convenience to your life, here are five online shopping safety tips to ensure your elderly loved one has a safe experience shopping online.
Look out for Signs of Website Security
Before making a purchase, verify the website’s security by glancing at the top of the page and checking the URL of the e-commerce store. The website should have the HTTPS format which guarantees that any sensitive information you key in when making a purchase is secure. Review the store’s privacy policy to confirm that your credit card or personal information will not be sold or shared with another entity.
Understand the Return Policy
As a consumer, you will be better off purchasing from a store that has a good return policy to ensure that you are not being defrauded and are getting what you pay for. Most serious retailers have a 30-day return policy, meaning you can send your product back if you are unsatisfied within that time frame for a refund.
Shop with a Credit Card
While you can never be 100% certain that your information is safe online, a credit card offers a more secure option. If your information happens to be stolen, you will not be liable for the unauthorized charges and can have them reversed by your bank. A debit card offers the same protection, but if a thief gains access to your debit card, they might be able to drain the money in the associated account, before you can detect it. You will also be able to dispute the charges but will have to wait until the dispute is resolved before your account can be credited. Therefore, it is better to shop with a credit card for a smoother online shopping experience.
Do not Attend to Spam Emails
If you do not recognize the sender of an email, it is imperative that you do not click on any links or attachments sent. Doing so could allow malicious parties to attain personal information or infect your computer with viruses.
Protect Your Passwords
Finally, take a few minutes out of your day to assess the security of your passwords. For them to be effective, they must be personal but arbitrary in format. Passwords should be different from one account to another. Using your address, maiden name, or name of your pet repeated as passwords across multiple websites will put your accounts at risk of being hacked. Passwords are meant to be random, often including a series of numbers and symbols. While this may make keeping track of your passwords even more of a hassle, having your passwords handy in a tidy notebook that you can reference easily (without being accessible to others) will keep your information safe on the Internet.
