Web Sites to Avoid:  Warning Signals

• Examine the text of the site.  Scam business sites often use capital letters and many dollar signs and exclamation points.  They often include misspellings and grammatical errors.
• Examine the site’s URL.  Look for the prefix https:// to make sure the site is secure.  Be suspicious of a commercial website URL that contains a tilde (~).  This symbol sometimes indicates personal web space within a larger, unidentified site.
• Examine the delivery time.  A company must ship an order within 30 days or the time stated in its ads (if that time is shorter).
• Examine the privacy policy.  Check a company’s privacy policy to make sure that it doesn’t sell its customers’ details to other companies.
• Examine the account details.  Never give out your checking account, credit card number, or personal information unless you’re certain that a company is legitimate.
• Examine payment methods.  If a seller asks for payment in cash by private courier, or by check or money order through an overnight delivery service, be very suspicious.
• Avoid be pressured for an immediate response or claims of limited availability. 

Visit Safe Shopping .org at www.safeshopping.org.  This website, created by the American Bar Association, will help you order safely when shopping online.

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