How to Stay Safe While Shopping Online for your Home Décor

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When it comes to DIY decorating ideas and the latest, most exciting design trends, we have you covered here at Top Dreamer with all of the necessary know-how. However, in order to actually purchase some of these design or DIY items, many of you will turn to some kind of online shop. Shopping online is not only sensible but is an everyday reality for most of us now, since you can find absolutely everything that you need online and have it shipped right to your door at the click of a button. However, we would be remised not to give you some insights into staying safe while you are shopping online for your next home décor purchase.

Use Only Secure Sites

You can tell that a site is secure if it has an SSL Certificate – such as this option – but all you need to know is that it keeps the connection secure between the site and the customer. The markers are that beside the URL there will be a little green lock, and before the URL it will begin in a green https domain extension instead of just http. If you see these markers, the site is safe to use. If not, then best to stay away.

Look for the Badges

of course one of the highest risk points of shopping online is the checkout. This is because you give your personal information, like home address for shipping, as well as your financial information with which you are making the purchase. One thing that you can do to double check the safety of the shop’s actual checkout process is to look for these security badges. Badges like Verified by Visa or the BBB Accredited Business badge show that the online shop has taken extra measures to ensure that their payment process is safe. To be on the safe side, we would still recommend you using an e-wallet (like PayPal) or a prepaid credit card whenever possible to minimize the risk of your financial information being intercepted.

Keep an Eye on your Statements

Whether you are shopping online or in a store, it is always good to check your credit card statements. Regular checks can help you catch a problem before it gets out of hand. If you notice any suspicious activity, you should inform your bank or credit card provider right away. You also ought to also note when it occurred, to be able to pin point where your information may have been compromised. Doing this will help you stay clear from the risky site, as well as being able to report the problem with the site and possibly avoid others becoming victims as well.