Online shopping has become very popular to purchase all things without leaving your home, and it is a convenient way to buy things like apparels, electronic appliances, furniture, cosmetics, and many more. There is no particular time to buy things Online, we can buy at any time instead of waiting for the store to open and we can avoid the traffic/ crowds. Apart from all these advantages risks are involved and there are unique internet risks so it is very important to take some safety measures before you go for online shopping.

• Avoid online shopping if you are not a regular user of online shopping.
• Always perform online shopping from secured websites.
• Don't respond to phishing e-mails/links as they maycollect vital information about the credit/debit cards and transfer the amount fraudulently online.

Tips for safe online shopping

• Before you go for online shopping make sure your PC is secured with all core protections like an antivirus, anti spyware, firewall, system updated with all patches and web browser security with the trusted sites and security level at high.
• Before you buy things online research about the website that you want to buy things from, since attackers try to trap with websites that appear to be legitimate, but they are not. So make a note of the telephone number's physical address of the vendor and confirm that the website is a trusted site. Search for different web sites and compare the prices.
• Check the reviews of consumers and media of that particular web site or merchants. If you are ready to buy something online check whether the site is secure like https or pad lock on the browser address bar or at the status bar and then proceed with financial transactions.
• After finishing the transaction take a print or screenshot of the transaction records and details of product like price, confirmation receipt, terms and conditions of the sale.
• Immediately check the credit card statements as soon as you finish and get them to know about the charges you paid were same, and if you find any changes immediately report to concerned authorities.
• Beware of the e-Mails like “please confirm of your payment, purchase and account detail for the product.” Remember legitimate businesspeople never send such e-Mails. If you receive such e-Mails immediately call the merchant and inform the same.
• After finishing your online shopping, clear all the web browser cookies and turn off your PC, since spammers and phishers will be looking for the system connected to the internet and try to send spam e-Mails and try to install the malicious software that may collect your personal information.