Tips for safe online shopping

Shopping online has changed the way we buy things. To many, the internet has become the go-to place for clothes, furniture, office supplies and much more. According to a Statista study, by 2024 Canadians were spending more than $3 billion in online shopping per month.

If you’re a frequent online shopper, you understand the ease, convenience and speed of online shopping. A simple search gives you access to pretty much everything you’re looking for, often available for next-day delivery.

But while online retail continues to grow, fraudsters continue to find new ways to take advantage of shoppers trying to find the next best deal. Still, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

1. Limit your online shopping to reliable retailers

How can you tell if a website is trustworthy or not? Seeing “https” in the URL is a good first step. If you enter a site that doesn’t have "https" in the address bar, your data is at greater risk of being shared with a malicious entity.

There are also a few extra security steps that you should take when you visit a site:

• Make sure the URL is correct and has no spelling mistakes. Scammers will try to take advantage of you typing in a hurry and misspelling a word in the URL to direct you to a fraudulent site. They’ll even go as far as making a fake website look exactly like a real one to get you to share your information.

• Check the site’s security certificate. Click on the locked padlock icon or tune icon and look for the field stating, “Connection is secure”. Clicking this will give you more information regarding the connection and validity of the certificate.

2. Create unique passwords for your accounts

Although it might seem convenient to re-use passwords, it is important to set a different password for each of your online accounts to help protect yourself. When choosing a password, never use birthdays, anniversaries, pet’s or children’s names, or common phrases like “password” or 123456. Instead, use complex phrases that are at least 8 characters long. Remember to never share your passwords with anyone, change them regularly, and always change default passwords provided by a manufacturer.

As a rule of thumb, a strong password ranges between 8 to 30 characters and combines:

• letters (uppercase and lower)

• numbers

• and special characters (like $,#, @, !, %, &, *)

Remember: Change your passwords every 90 days, never reuse passwords across sites and don’t reuse old passwords.

3. Question unbelievably good deals

Everyone loves a good deal. People rush to place orders on things that are heavily discounted online. However, if the price seems too good to be true, it most likely is.

Not sure how to spot a fake deal online? Look for these warning signs:

• The site asks you to pay upfront in order to unlock the deal or receive a discount coupon.

• You can’t pay with a secure method like your debit card, credit card or payment apps.

• The site has a vague or nonexistent return/refund policy.

For example: If you notice a website is offering luxury brands of jewellery, clothes, or electronics for incredibly cheap prices, know that there’s a chance you’re paying for a defective item or an item you won’t receive at all. You also may not be able to get refunded for the item if you contact the seller.

4. Safeguard your devices and internet browsers

If you happen to miss the signs of an unsafe website, set up your device and internet browser to do the work for you. You can install security software for your computer, phone and tablet to get alerts whenever you enter a harmful site or click on a malicious popup. As for your browsers, we recommend you choose strong security settings and install the latest updates as soon as they’re available.

Here’s a cool little tidbit: As a BMO customer, you get access to security software for your devices from our leading tech partners.

5. Avoid online shopping in public

Public Wi-Fi is every fraudster’s best friend. Shopping online while connected to a public network can be risky because there’s no guarantee on who’s running it and who can access it. Fraudsters can pose as the café, restaurant, or mall you’re in to trick you into joining their network and get a hold of your information.

Cybercriminals can also intercept your online activity when you connect to public Wi-Fi. This includes your emails, browsing history, social media accounts and login credentials, which could compromise your private details.

Avoid using free Wi-Fi in public places, especially if you need to bank, shop or work online.