How to Avoid Fraudulent Online Retailers

When you are shopping on the Internet you cannot see who you are buying from or even be sure that they are legit. Online retailers can be fraudulent. They are hiding behind the safety of the computer scamming unaware shoppers and possibly gaining your credit card or bank account information. Follow these guidelines to avoid fraudulent online retailers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Trust your instincts. If a price or offer seems too good to be true than it probably is. Companies need to make a profit off of what they are selling so if the price is way below the average price than they are not making any money. A legit online retailer will not do that.
2. Log on to Epinions or Bizrate to see what other shoppers have to say about the online store. If there are negative reviews then do not buy from that retailer. Also, beware if they are not listed because the online store could be a new scam so be sure to avoid them.
3. Do a background check of the online retailer. Make sure that they have an actual physical address. Call them and talk to one of the representatives. You can also request one of their catalogs to be sent to you by mail.
4. Make sure that the company only requests the necessary information to complete your online purchase. If they ask for your mother's maiden name, social security number or bank account number they might be a fraud. That information is not needed to sell you something.
5. Look for typos, grammatical errors and misspellings. These could be indicators that the online retailer is fraudulent or the email is spam, so be sure to avoid them.