How to shop online safely: Top 15 tips for safe online shopping

Is online shopping safe?

Yes, online shopping is generally safe. But as with any online activity, it comes with certain risks. You need to know where you’re clicking, what you’re sharing, and who you’re buying from. Most online purchases go through without a problem, especially when you use trusted retailers and secure payment methods. The risk comes from online scammers who build fake or cloned websites that look legitimate enough to dupe consumers and steal their payment or personal details, which can lead to financial identity theft.

These risks can become more common during major shopping periods, especially around Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, when people are rushing to find deals and track deliveries. Older adults are also increasingly targeted as they adopt online shopping more frequently, although even experienced shoppers can be caught off guard by more sophisticated scams.

Some of the most common online scams that target shoppers are:

• Fake online stores: Scam websites that look like real retailers but exist only to steal payment details or personal information.
• Cloned retailer websites or social media platforms: Copycat sites or social platforms that mimic trusted brands with similar logos, layouts, and URLs.
• Phishing emails and texts: Messages pretending to come from retailers, payment providers, or shipping companies.
• Fake delivery alerts: Texts or emails claiming there’s an issue with your package and asking you to click a link or pay a small fee to fix the problem.
• Malware attacks: Malicious software that can be installed through links or downloads and silently harvests login or financial data.
• Too-good-to-be-true deals: Heavily discounted products designed to rush shoppers into buying before checking whether the seller is legitimate or not. This is especially common for Black Friday scams and Cyber Monday scams.
• Non-delivery scams: Fake sellers that take payment but never send the product or send a completely different parcel.

Being aware of what to look out for and what to avoid is essential if you want to know how to shop online safely.

Top 15 secure online shopping tips

Scammers often rely on speed, distraction, and small details shoppers might miss, such as a misspelled URL or a fake delivery message. These safe online shopping tips can help you protect your payment details, reduce your risk of identity theft, and spot online shopping scams before they cost you money. 

1. Keep your device, browser, and apps updated

Software updates can feel easy to ignore, especially when they pop up at the worst possible time, but they play an important role in helping you stay safe while shopping online. Those updates often include critical security fixes that protect your device from known threats. Before shopping online, make sure your phone, laptop, browser, and shopping apps are running the latest versions.

2. Use reliable security tools

Secure online shopping is easier when your device has a few extra layers of protection. A VPN can help protect your connection, especially when you’re away from home. Anti-malware software can help you detect suspicious files, links, or apps. Scam and identity theft protection tools can alert you to exposed personal data.

3. Download mobile shopping apps only from official sources

Fake shopping apps can look surprisingly real. Some use familiar logos, copied product photos, and names that are only slightly different from legitimate retailers. Download apps only from official app stores like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for safe online shopping. Before installing, check the developer name, number of reviews, app history, and permissions.

4. Use unique passwords for every shopping account

Password reuse is one of the easiest ways for criminals to break into multiple online accounts. If one shopping site suffers a data breach and you’ve used the same password elsewhere, attackers may try that password on your email, online banking, or other retail accounts. Use a unique password for every shopping account, especially for sites that store payment details. A password manager can help you create and manage strong passwords without needing to remember them all.

5. Enable MFA where possible

Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, adds a second verification step when you log in. This might be a text code, app notification, email code, or biometric check like Face ID on iPhones. MFA matters because a stolen password won’t always entail automatic access to your account. Even if scammers get your login details, they may still need that second step to break in.

6. Avoid public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi in cafes, airports, hotels, and malls can be convenient, but it isn’t always secure. On unencrypted networks, bad actors may be able to intercept information you send or receive. For a safer online shopping experience, wait until you’re on a trusted private network, activate your VPN, or use mobile data to shop instead. 

7. Always check for an HTTPS connection and the padlock icon on a website when shopping

Before entering payment information, look at the website address in your browser. It should start with “https://” and show a padlock icon near the address bar. HTTPS means the connection between your browser and the website is encrypted, making it harder for others to intercept the information you share. 

Never enter payment or personal information on a site that only uses HTTP since these sites are not encrypted. That said, HTTPS is only one part of online shopping safety. Scam sites can also use HTTPS, so you still need to check the domain, reviews, policies, and payment options.

8. Beware of misspellings in the domain names

Scammers often create fake URLs that look close enough to real retailer websites to fool busy shoppers. For example, fake sites might use “amaz0n.com” instead of “amazon.com,” or “amazon-deals.co” to make the page look connected to a real sale. Always check the full URL before logging in or paying. 

Be extra careful if the link came from an email, text message, social media ad, or online marketplace message. It's best if you manually search for the retailer in a trusted search engine like Google, open the official website, and compare the domain name with the one in the link.

9. Research unfamiliar merchants and their reputation

Search the retailer’s name with words like “reviews,” “complaints,” or “scam.” Check whether the business has a Better Business Bureau listing, verified customer reviews, and real contact information. A legitimate online store should have clear details about shipping, returns, privacy, and customer support that promote safe online shopping practices.

10. Avoid offers that seem “too good to be true”

Sometimes, scammers slash prices of hot ticket items to push people toward a fake sale. The customer either ends up without a product or a poor replica of what they wanted to purchase. A huge discount can be real, especially during clearance or holiday sales. But a store offering luxury products, electronics, or popular items at suspiciously low prices should raise questions.

11. Don’t click the links — go direct instead

Many cases of internet fraud and scams begin with a link. It might be in an email that looks like it came from a retailer, a text claiming there’s a delivery issue, or an ad promoting a limited-time deal.

For safer online shopping, type the retailer’s URL directly into your browser or use the official app. Avoid clicking links from emails or text messages, especially if they ask you to log in, confirm payment information, or pay a delivery fee. If you’re shopping on platforms like Amazon, eBay, or Poshmark, keep all communications and payments within the platform.

The same rule applies to ads. Some malicious ads can lead to fake stores or pages infected with malware. It’s safer to go directly to the retailer than to trust a deal that appears in your feed. Learn how to spot a phishing email and be extra cautious with marketplace scams, including Amazon scams, eBay scams, and Poshmark scams.

12. Don’t provide more information than necessary 

Be wary of checkout forms that ask for too much personal information. Oversharing can increase your risk if the site is fake, hacked, or careless with customer data. Criminals can use stolen details for identity theft, including financial fraud. Avoid sites that ask for your Social Security number, driver’s license number, full bank account information, birthday, and middle name.

Also, learn more about what someone can do with your bank account number and what someone can do with your Social Security number, so you know which details to protect most carefully. 

13. Beware of online stores with no return/refund policy

Before buying from a new store, check the return and refund policy. A reputable company should clearly explain how returns work, how long you have to return an item, who pays for shipping, and when you can expect a refund. Be careful with stores that lack a return policy, have vague refund rules, or use “all sales final” language on every product. 

Now, this doesn’t mean that the store’s automatically fake. However, without a return policy, you’ll have fewer options if the item’s defective or different from what was advertised. For safe online shopping, prioritize clarity.

14. Use secure payment methods

Digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay can add another layer between the retailer and your card details. Virtual credit cards, or temporary card numbers, can also help limit exposure because the merchant doesn’t receive your actual card number. For more guidance, read about credit card safety, whether virtual credit cards are safe, and how credit card fraud happens.

Avoid sellers that ask for wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or peer-to-peer payments for regular retail purchases. These payment methods can be difficult or impossible to reverse.

15. Track your packages post-purchase

Use the tracking link from the merchant’s official confirmation email or log in to your account on the retailer’s website. You can also go directly to the carrier’s official website and enter the tracking number there. Avoid clicking links in unsolicited delivery messages, especially if they ask for payment details or personal information. A real package update shouldn’t require you to enter sensitive data through a random link.

Red flags to watch out for when shopping online

Understanding how to buy online safely involves knowing how to separate legitimate stores from risky ones. The table below shows you the red flags to watch out for: 

What to do if you’ve fallen victim to an online shopping scam

If you’ve fallen victim to an online shopping scam, act quickly. The faster you respond, the better your chances of limiting the damage, disputing the charge, and protecting your accounts from further misuse. Focus on securing your money, passwords, and personal information first.

• Document everything. Save receipts, order confirmations, seller messages, tracking details, screenshots, URLs, emails, texts, and payment records. This evidence can help when you contact your bank, file a dispute, or report the scam.
• Contact your bank or card provider. Report the transaction as soon as possible. Ask whether they can dispute the charge, reverse the payment, lock the card, or issue a replacement. You can also read more about whether banks refund scammed money and what may affect the outcome.
• Change your passwords. Update the password for the shopping account involved, then change passwords for any accounts that used the same or similar login details. 
• Report the scam to the FTC. File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Reporting helps authorities track scam patterns and may give you a recovery plan based on what happened.
• Consider freezing your credit. If you shared sensitive information, such as your Social Security number, consider placing a credit freeze or credit lock to make it harder for criminals to open new accounts in your name. Read our guide to know the difference between freezing and locking your credit account. It's also useful to learn how to check if someone opened an account in your name.
• Use protection tools going forward. Identity theft protection tools can help you monitor for suspicious activity after your information is exposed. Services like Coveron can help you stay informed about potential threats and take action faster if your personal information is at risk.