Attorney General Morrisey Offers Important Tips for Online Holiday Shopping
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on December 07, 2018 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey urges consumers to safeguard personal information and watch for potential scams when looking online for that perfect holiday gift.
Online shopping has become increasingly popular with the prevalence of smartphone applications, which in turn increases the need for caution to ensure the app is legitimate. Scammers can create apps to lure consumers with a “great deal,” but in actuality use it to steal the shopper’s personal information and infect his or her device with malware.
“Online shopping may offer more convenience than going to the store, but consumers need to be extra careful,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “During this season of sharing with loved ones, it is important to confirm that personal information is not inadvertently shared with scammers.”
Consumers shopping online can do a few things to safeguard their personal information:
Online shopping has become increasingly popular with the prevalence of smartphone applications, which in turn increases the need for caution to ensure the app is legitimate. Scammers can create apps to lure consumers with a “great deal,” but in actuality use it to steal the shopper’s personal information and infect his or her device with malware.
“Online shopping may offer more convenience than going to the store, but consumers need to be extra careful,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “During this season of sharing with loved ones, it is important to confirm that personal information is not inadvertently shared with scammers.”
Consumers shopping online can do a few things to safeguard their personal information:
- Make sure websites start with https://, which verifies a secure connection.
- Look out for fake websites that mimic a company’s legitimate web address. Carefully check the web address as scammers can slightly shorten and manipulate it in ways that are not easily noticeable.
- Avoid unfamiliar websites with discounts or deals that seem unrealistic and too good to be true.
- Be wary of social media sites offering vouchers or gift cards as they could be a means to retrieve personal information.
- Don’t use public Wi-Fi when entering credit card information for online purchases.
- Be wary of websites that ask for nontraditional forms of payment, such as prepaid cards, money orders, cashier’s checks or gift cards. It’s always best to pay with a credit card.
- Don’t wire money. It’s like cash — once it’s gone, it can’t be returned. This is especially true with foreign entities.
- Frequently check credit and bank statements to catch any fraudulent purchases.
- Know return policies and ask for receipts and gift receipts.
- Read customer reviews and check for typos or run-on sentences in descriptions.
