Is it safe to buy online?

November 30th, 2012

Appliance Talk

If you’re reading this, it’s safe to assume you’re no stranger to shopping online. We live in an incredibly fast-paced world, and sometimes we’re left with no option but to buy goods over the internet. However, how can you be sure your online shopping experience is safe?

Safe online shopping

First of all, check to make sure you are purchasing from a secure site. Appliances Online takes the following precautions to provide our customers with the safest possible online shopping experience:

1. Credit card details are not stored

Appliances Online does not store credit card details, so customers have a much lower risk of having their information stolen.

In addition to this, credit card details are encrypted to minimise the possibility of unauthorised access or disclosure. Paypal’s Payflow secure payment gateway is also used to ensure maximum safety when shopping with us.

2. Secure website

Whenever you’re shopping online, check to make sure that the website is secure. Appliances Online uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to provide communication security between the customer’s browser and the Appliances Online server. You can tell if a website is secure if ‘https’ is visible in the URL (you’ll see it during the transaction):

Firewalls are also used to help protect the Appliances Online servers from intrusions. Web application firewalls help to avoid common attack methods.

When buying online, you can also look for the lock icon which appears in various browsers when making a purchase, and/or a green address bar.

3. Cash on delivery payment option

Understandably, many people would prefer not to use their credit card when shopping online. Appliances Online gives customers the option of paying by cash at the time of delivery (in situations where our own delivery trucks are used, provided that the item they’re buying is not an agency brand). Full details are available in our trading terms.

Protect yourself

It is of course important to only shop with reputable online retailers such as Appliances Online. However there are steps you need to take to make sure your details are fully protected.

According to research* recently conducted on behalf of Kaspersky Lab, an alarming proportion of Australians are leaving themselves open to credit fraud while shopping online. For instance, 74% of Australians have kept the same password six months or longer, while two thirds (65%) use the same password for multiple websites. In addition to this, 29% of us are using personal details, such as a child or partner’s name, as a password. What makes this statistic all the more shocking is the fact that 27% of us have these same personal details visible on Facebook.

To keep your details safe, Kaspersky Lab recommends the following:

• Change your passwords every 3-6 months.

• Make sure your passwords are different for every website.

• Don’t use real information for your security questions. For example, use numbers or letters instead of your mother’s real maiden name.

Shopping online this Christmas

This year, more Australians than ever before will do their Christmas shopping online. As long as you take heed of the advice we’ve provided, you should be able to make your purchases with total confidence and peace of mind. Shopping online is not only convenient – it’s also a great way to compare and contrast different products so you can make informed choices and get the best value for money. Plus, you get to avoid all the rioting and stampedes that can happen during the Boxing Day sales!

So remember to stay safe when shopping online this holiday season, for a very merry and fraud-free Christmas!

* This study was conducted online among a representative sample of Australians aged 18-64 years between Wednesday 12 September and Friday 14 September, 2012 on behalf of Kaspersky Lab.