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Is there anything you can’t buy online? Especially during the pandemic, it seems like everyone has taken to the internet to stock up on everything from toilet paper to towels. Although it is super convenient, the downfall with online shopping is that you always have to be really careful about the sites you frequent. You should never enter your credit card information on any old website you find — and you could be unknowingly giving away information that leads you straight into the arms of spammers. Want to know how to avoid that and keep yourself protected? This is the worst mistake you can make when shopping online that experts say leads to so many spam calls.
Here’s the deal: there are more than a few mistakes you could making when shopping online — but the good news is that they’re all avoidable.
According to Daniela Sawyer, founder and business development strategist of FindPeopleFast.net, these are the top mistakes you’re making while online shopping that can lead to spam:
- When you are demanded to make immediate payment without being allowed to ask questions about the product freely.
- When you are asked to pay for the product you want to buy in a specific way, especially with a prepaid debit card.
- When you are redirected from the page or website you want to buy a product from to another and meant to click on certain buttons-submit your credentials or give access to certain information. When you do so, you’re exposing yourself to multiple spam calls .
- When you submit your credit or debit card numbers over the phone can result in spam calls.
- When you pick specific calls when you are doing online shopping.
- You can also get spam calls when you submit your personal information on the site, such as phone numbers or email.
To avoid spam calls, Sawyer makes three suggestions:
Stop submitting your personal information on the internet.
Don't pick a call from numbers you see online if it is from the company. Picking up such numbers might make you a target.
Make purchases from only reputable online shops.
A few ways to ensure a website is legit include checking contact details (to make sure they exist), making sure the domain name appears credible, and scouring their social media presence for signs that it is robust and contains real followers and reviewers. From there, shop with caution.
