Use Care to Prevent Online Fraud

Online fraud causes thousands of dollars of damage. It ruins lives and it betrays trust as well. If you conduct personal or professional business online, then you must make sure you are careful not to succumb to those who wish you harm. When shopping online, you must be careful that you do not leave yourself vulnerable to scams or identity theft. Once a person seizes control of your identity, they have the option to open new financial accounts which ruins your credit.

There is a good chance that nearly every person who lives in the U.K. has bought a good or service online at some point. Scam artists are well aware of this fact as well. If you are buying electronics or vintage instruments, then ask for the serial number. Some older electric guitars are priceless, and scam artists take steps to replicate them using poor materials. Some companies in China specialize in making replica “vintage” instruments. Do not simply take someone’s word for it; conduct your own investigation. You can use a website called The Guitar Dater Project to perform your own serial number analysis.

When you buy products online, you should have the option to return them. Check on these types of policies to verify the company’s legitimacy. Steer away from products which contain the tags “refurbished” or “close out.” These items are not usually in mint condition. Choose your seller wisely on Ebay. If a seller does not have a quality sales history or feedback rating, then chances are good that they are running a scam.