Safe ways for online shopping in Oman

People were divided between believer and liar when online shopping first appeared in the open. It was difficult for them to waste their money and trust websites to buy their tangible products, but of course technology and changing economic and social conditions in different parts of the world and in Oman especially forced to form a different image. In front of them helped them accept this new form of shopping and even become more aware of its importance in their lives.

Today, shopping lovers in Oman can discover and buy the most famous brands and the best products via mobile with ease, fun and without any obstacles, but here comes the important question, is online shopping really worth the effort and experience? Is it that safe, or is it all just exaggerations?

We will answer all these questions and more in our news for today, so that you can enjoy enjoyable and safe online shopping by following the basic conditions.

What are the terms of safe online shopping?

Use safe online shopping websites

• Choose your shopping websites
• Knowledge of the website's security system

Safe payment methods

• Limited information
• Difficult password
• Protection programs
• Cash on delivery or prepaid cards
• Check the bank account

Points to avoid when shopping online

• Avoid purchasing when using external Wi-Fi networks
• Beware of shady ads
• Beware of fake emails and links
• Avoid sharing personal information
• Use the Google search engine
• Study online shopping sites correctly

Safe online shopping websites in Oman

Not all online shopping sites are that credible that qualifies them to be on your list of choices, as the Internet is filled with thousands of shopping sites that provide various wonderful goods and services, but only a few that we can trust and guarantee the buying experience in the way we look forward to, and to distinguish them from other sites make sure the availability the following conditions:

Choosing safe and famous websites

To enjoy a real shopping experience, you must first verify the efficiency of the site and its various services, and for this it is preferable to choose the famous shopping sites because of the possibility to see previous purchase experiences and shopper evaluations and to ensure the quality of the products and services provided, as these sites are distinguished from others by guaranteeing your money in the event that you are not satisfied with the products Especially marketed with quick response and problem solving customer service.
It is always preferable to avoid new unknown or previously tried sites or from unknown brands because good thinking will make you get a successful and guaranteed purchase.

Make sure your online shopping website is safe

If you are quick to notice, you will find that there is a small lock next to the URL of any website you visit on the Internet, where this code is called HTTPS and its role is to protect the user’s information by encrypting it when it is transferred from the user’s device to the site itself, which makes it easier for online shoppers In particular, securely transfer credit card and bank account data when purchasing online, so avoid shopping from shopping sites that do not have this symbol or the word “HTTPS” at the beginning of the site address.

Safe online payment method

Never buy from any online shopping site until after making sure of the security of the available payment methods. Unfortunately, there are many online shopping sites that have been able to exploit their users by providing unapproved payment methods with the aim of seizing payment cards and stealing shoppers in the most horrific way. Follow with us the most important points that must be confirmed Of them for a perfect online shopping experience:

Be mindful of sharing basic information

The correct way to activate any payment card does not require sharing any private data. The procedures followed in most trusted shopping sites ensure that shoppers' information is not sold or used in abusive manner, as they are only expected to be provided with the shipping address, payment data, mobile number, email, and other information as information. Your bank account, driver's license number, ID number or passport number are not important in the shopping process.
Therefore, in addition to the previous point, online shoppers should visit the privacy policy section of each website that provides online shopping services to learn about the degree of information protection and security.

Choose a difficult and different password

Online shoppers are exposed to very serious fraud and looting because of hackable passwords, as statistics indicate that most of them put passwords matching their email or other accounts in social networking sites.
That is why it is recommended in this case to set the password strong and difficult to guess, and it is advisable to change it from time to time, but if you are one of the people who have a weak memory, you can simply download a program that can save passwords, although we do not recommend that.

Use of protection software

To feel more secure when shopping online, it is highly recommended to download intrusion protection programs that will stand an impenetrable barrier against fraud cases that are widespread in shopping sites and that seek to steal your personal information or your payment cards, where you can buy a complete set of programs online with the need to update them constantly in order to Keep track of all phishing messages and malicious viruses first hand.

Use cash on delivery or prepaid cards

These methods are among the most easy and secure payment methods, especially for new shoppers, as the payment upon receipt service allows the possibility of checking the conformity of their products and their quality before completing the payment process because it will avoid them sacrificing their material savings because they are not fully aware of the risks of use.
As for prepaid cards, it is a distinctive method provided by all banking agencies and banks in Oman because, in addition to the multiple uses in the ability to shop online, you do not need to create a bank account.

Check your bank account frequently

Unfortunately, some scammers have reached a high level of professionalism in hacking online shoppers’ accounts directly and unchecked. We find there are a lot of thefts that cannot be noticed until it is too late, as most shoppers used to see their monthly account statement only, and therefore it is preferable to communicate with the bank From time to time, especially during the holiday seasons, to display the electronic account statements for all cards and current accounts, and in the event of seeing any fraud, you should go to the bank or the authority that issued the cards immediately so that you are not responsible for paying fees and other consequences.

What should online shoppers avoid when buying online?

Economic analysts expect the development and prosperity of e-commerce in the coming years. After the promising success in the pandemic period and the great growth it has brought about in the world of commerce, everyone has started turning to e-commerce, whether sellers who want to display their products or shopping lovers who are looking for the best amazing goods and services at the lowest prices.

But online shopping, like anything in this life, has a good side and a dark side, and from this context, we will now recall with you the most important things to avoid when shopping online to get the shopping experiences we aspire to:

Do not shop online when using external Wi-Fi networks

Online shoppers yearn for free Wi-Fi services that save them a lot of fees, unaware that in this way they can be more vulnerable to spying risks on their devices and private information.
But if you have to shop online via public Wi-Fi networks, be sure to use the networks of well-known stores or stores that are in the same name as the same store, and access to them is required to obtain the password from the employees available to serve you, and you must also be smart and use the virtual VPN network that Your electronic identity will be hidden so that no one can access your data.

Beware of clicking on unofficial ads

Scammers study the methods that attract online shoppers and pave the way for the robbery process.
Misleading ads contain deceptive and unfounded information that pushes online shoppers to make quick purchasing decisions, and from this point you will have entered the risk yourself by entering sites similar to the original sites whose main goal is to fill in all the banking information to have your accounts hacked.

Avoid emails and fake links

No matter how tempting e-mails you receive through your e-mail, be careful not to click on them before verifying them, as there are many fraudulent people who send phishing e-mails that appear to be real from your bank or shopping sites, which will often ask you for personal information or passwords private information about you and other sensitive information, in which case you should never deal with these messages and immediately report them by moving them to the "Spam" folder.

Avoid sharing personal information

Stay away from online shopping sites that ask for more information than necessary, as a new trick was recently observed by sending order tracking messages and requires obtaining more information than "delivery address, phone number", but extends to payment card data, e-mail, and others." Do not fall prey to this method.

Use the Google search engine

The World Wide Web provides smart search engines such as Yahoo, Bing, and Google, which are the most famous and most widespread due to the intelligent algorithms system that enables it to show results very accurately and quickly, and for this it is always recommended to search for the name of the site on the Google search engine to ensure access to the correct official site, because Many hackers rely on creating sites with a name similar to the most important brands with a small change in the name, which will be difficult to notice.

Study the shopping website properly

The popularity of the shopping site or the high rate of its evaluation does not mean that it is always the best. For online shoppers, there are some advantages that govern the efficiency and credibility of the site, such as: original products, special prices, free services, fast shipping and delivery, multiple payment methods, and many additional services .
The best way to investigate any e-shopping site is to research the history of the site’s emergence, the brands it offers and the achievements it has achieved, as well as shipping policies, return and replacement services, especially in your country, and then review the previous experiences of buyers.
It is worth noting that many sites rely on influencers and famous social media to promote their sites, so I always beware of new sites because we noticed recently the closure of a large number of these sites, which led to the loss of money for online shoppers.