The explosion of e-commerce sites has changed how we shop today, providing access to millions of online stores with almost unlimited selections.Β Β
Just as you would take basic precautions in a brick-and-mortar store β perhaps hiding your PIN number while paying and making sure the business is legitimate β you should also practice safe shopping habits online.Β
Here are eight ways you can avoid fake websites and other online scams and ensure that youβre dealing with legitimate companies and safe online stores.Β
One of the best ways to tell if an online store is legit and avoid debit and credit card scams, domain name and subdomain name takeovers, and other problems is with a free and effective download like McAfee WebAdvisor.Β
This smart tool helps you surf and shop with confidence, protecting you from malicious sites that can contain:Β Β
McAfee WebAdvisor is a free browser extension that downloads quickly and installs easily, working in the background automatically to protect you from malware and phishing as you surf, search, and enjoy online shopping.Β
McAfee WebAdvisor works with Windows 10, 8.1, 8, and 7 (32- and 64-bit) computers and is compatible with these browsers:Β
Here are other ways to make sure you know when youβre dealing with scammers online.Β Β
When checking an e-commerce siteβs credentials, start with the address bar. Often, hackers will use URLs that are very close to the real siteβs URL but not quite the same. Look for typos or use Google to see if a search takes you to the same page. Also, look for a padlock icon in the address bar.Β
Click the padlock and look at the drop-down menu that provides information, such as if the site has a valid certificate like SSL (verifying that the web address belongs to the company), how many cookies are in use, other site settings, and whether your information is safe when sent to this site.Β
The protection is pretty good but not perfect since some cybercriminals have been able to replicate these padlocks or take over legitimate sites that have them.Β
Trust seals, such as the TrustedSite certification, are stamps created by a certificate authority (CA) to confirm the legitimacy of a site. A trust seal tells visitors that they are on a safe site and the company that displays the mark prioritizes cybersecurity. Click on it, and you should be taken to a webpage that verifies the authenticity of the trust seal.Β
Googleβs Safe Browsing technology crawls through billions of web addresses every day on the lookout for unsafe websites. The technology discovers thousands daily β often legitimate sites that have been compromised. Warnings for unsafe sites pop up in your browser and on the Google search engine. You can also search specific URLs to see if a site has been compromised.Β Β
Itβs worth checking a company on social media to see if they appear to have a genuine following and legitimate posts. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) also has suggestions for spotting fake social media accounts, including those on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You should look for:Β
Another way to test the legitimacy of an online retail store is to check its contact information. Does it have a physical address, phone number, and email contact? Does the email address on the contact page have the company domain name in it, or is it generic (like a Gmail address)? If you send an email, does it get delivered?Β
Check to see if the e-commerce site looks as if it has been professionally produced or whether it has been thrown together with slapdash results. Are there typos, grammar errors, poor-quality images, and a sloppy design? Does it have a poorly worded return policy or no return policy at all?Β Β
All the things that undermine the professional appearance and authenticity of a site should be red flags and convince you that youβre on a scam website.Β Β
If the online company is a legitimate website (not a scam site) and has been around for a while, there should be authentic third-party reviews from previous customers. Review sites include Google My Business, Amazon, and Yelp.Β
If the reviews are uniformly bad, on the other hand, you have another type of problem to confront.Β
Since virtual shopping is fast becoming the new norm, itβs important to guard against cybercriminals that are increasingly targeting retailers and their customers. A great way to shop with confidence is to use McAfee WebAdvisor, which is available as a free download.Β
The web browser extension works tirelessly in the background to protect you as you browse and buy. Think of it as a gift to yourself so you can use the internet to its full potential while keeping your information protected.Β
The post 8 Ways to Know If Online Stores Are Safe and Legit appeared first on McAfee Blog.