How to protect yourself from online scams

The Internet is the world's largest shopping mall and is open 24 hours a day. However, scammers can completely ruin the pleasure of shopping. Fake online shops are not always recognizable at first glance. By paying attention to a few points, you can greatly reduce the risk of becoming a victim of Internet scams.

6 tips to protect yourself from Internet scams

Shopping online is convenient and convenient. However, the more we shop online, the more this practice attracts scammers. That's why you should follow some rules to best protect yourself from fraudulent webshops. But beware: none of these measures can guarantee 100% security. However, especially when combined, these tips will help greatly reduce the risk of scams.

1. Pay attention to the security of the connection

The shop's web address should begin with https:// and a padlock symbol should appear in the browser address line. This indicates that the connection is encrypted. In addition, when making online payments, care should be taken not to enter personal data into a public Wi-Fi network. This minimizes the risk of payment data being intercepted and misused by fraudsters.

2. Do not reveal account details in emails or chats

Scammers often try to obtain login credentials or bank details through so-called phishing emails. Similarly, they may pose as customer service and use chat features to try to snatch their victims' information. Serious providers never ask for this data, so you should never reveal it via e-mail or chat.

3. Check the seriousness of suppliers

Serious suppliers should at least have an easy-to-find impressum, transparent return conditions, and public ratings on the website. In the absence of these elements, caution is advised. Some special quality labels for online shops, for example "Swiss Online Garantie" or "Trusted Shops" can also be useful as guidance for online shoppers. In addition, special attention should be paid to small ads on the Internet. These are tools often misused by scammers. Before buying, it is therefore essential to check vendor ratings and insist on the use of secure payment methods.

Il convient d'être particulièrement attentif aux petites annonces sur Internet, car elles sont souvent utilisées de manière abusive par des fraudeurs. Avant d'acheter, il faut donc impérativement vérifier les évaluations des fournisseurs et exiger des modes de paiement sécurisés.

4. Use 2-factor authentication for payments

Usually, in e-banking you can set up this function to confirm payments. In that case, you receive an SMS or push notification asking you to confirm the payment using an authorization code. This provides an additional level of protection.

5. Don't trust excessive discounts

Bargains are often found by shopping online. However, one should be wary of very high or almost unbelievable discounts and check offers carefully. They may be counterfeit goods or sellers may be hiding additional costs, such as customs duties, shipping charges or VAT.

6. Pay only for what has been purchased

Fake payment requests are a popular scam. If you unexpectedly receive an invoice for something you did not know you bought, contact the seller or vendor directly. Do not be intimidated by unfounded threats from collection offices.