Shopping online is easy and convenient and many people make a point of doing this now. It’s because of this fact that many hackers and scammers have gone to great lengths to create sophisticated and elaborate ways to nab your credit card information.

Fortunately there are all kinds of ways you can take measures to protect yourself. I’ve mentioned in a previous episode about some methods, but I’d like to include other ones that I didn’t bring up in the previous episode.

Some other advice to consider are the following:

First, shop with websites you trust. This means dealing with businesses that you know exist in the real world.

Second, if you do shop at a new store or an unfamiliar site, be sure to have a look around the site. Is the site on social media and do they interact with their customers? Do they have any reviews? What do customers have to say about them? Check their background info with the Better Business Bureau. Make sure they don’t have any complaints about scams or history of scams.

Third, be wary of to good to be true sales. While stores have been jumping on Cyber Monday, Prime Day, Black Friday and other big sales, you want to pay special attention to those prices. Sometimes those prices are way too low. Make a point of comparing the products images and price with other stores selling the exact same thing.

Fourth, avoid giving out too much information. There will never be a store asking you for deep personal information. Typically stores only need an address, and some payment information like credit card number or PayPal information. If the store needs more, contact their customer service and see if you can use alternative information. If not, find someplace else.

Fifth, have a mind for details. When shopping online, make a point of screenshooting the receipt or have it emailed to you. During high sales times things can get lost in the cracks. Sometimes you get the wrong item or won’t get it altogether. This tip leads into the final tip I have to say.

That final tip is if something does happen, take action to ensure something gets done. Try to be helpful which means don’t call the company and start complaining to them. Let them know you’ve been waiting for a longer period of time than usual. Provide transaction numbers or the receipt they gave you.