6 Tips for Safe Shopping Online in KSA
The sales period is a great bargain for consumers, but buying online always comes with risk.
Ensuring the reliability of websites
By searching for a particular item, your search engine may provide you with results with attractive offers. Promises that sound too good to be true and often are. Some websites are specially designed to display the much desired item at a ridiculous price in order to deliberately lure you into its net and retrieve your bank details.
Before entering this sensitive information, it is crucial to verify the reliability of the site. Keep in mind that an offer that is far too good is suspect. A simple search on the name of the site will inform you of the good or bad experiences of other Internet users.
Certain details can also put you on the alert, in particular the domain name of the site, spelling errors, a site in a foreign language, the absence of contacts in case of problem, implausible offers. If you observe this kind of suspicious item, it would be best to avoid buying from this site at the risk of seeing your bank account emptied or receiving a counterfeit.
Pay on a secure page
If you trust the site where you found the article of your dreams, check that the payment is made on a secure page. Most secure websites will direct you to a secure page to make your payment. To verify this, check the URL of the page. You should see an “S” next to “http”, indicating that the site is indeed secure.
If this is not the case, it is not advisable to enter your bank details or any other personal data.
Use a secure payment method
Another solution: use a secure means of payment. PayPal is the best-known and most secure way to shop online in KSA. This payment method avoids transmitting your bank details by simply logging into your PayPal account. The service protects the customer more than the seller and offers a help service in disputes with a seller.
Do not register your card on a site
To continue on the subject of banking data, it is recommended that you avoid recording them on the Internet. The risks of hacking are all the greater on an unsecured site (without “s” at the end of “http”). This could easily be hacked and your bank details recovered at your expense.
Entering this information in every transaction can be restrictive, but it will avoid unpleasant surprises. Obviously, you can still do this on trusted sites, but prefer a strong password, with numbers, upper / lower case and symbols.
Use a prepaid card
An alternative to the credit card, the prepaid card offers several advantages. On the one hand, it saves you from spending too much money since you have to recharge it. So you can set yourself a limited budget.
On the other hand, in the event of piracy, only the available sum may be stolen. Little consolation at first glance, but significant compared to an intrusion into your bank account.
Most banks offer them; you just need to check with your banking organization to receive one.
Monitor your bank account
If in doubt after making a purchase from a suspicious sales site, consider monitoring your bank account. If a bad guy was able to get your bank details or gain access to your credit card, a suspicious purchase or withdrawal could happen very quickly.
If this is the case, quickly contact your bank for information regarding this transfer or withdrawal. If you are not the author, directly call the special Card Stop number to block your bank account: 070 / 344.344.
Finally, scams can also be found in the offers offered by certain sellers and online sales sites. We explain how to avoid getting ripped off on a price here.