Do Your Research before You Buy

Online shopping is increasingly popular thanks to its convenience. Tempting offers are common, especially around special dates and holidays like Black Friday and Christmas. However, you must be cautious to avoid falling for scams.

Before buying, always check to make sure there is a closed padlock icon in the navigation bar before the website address. This indicates it uses https, a protocol that secures your data by encrypting it while it is being transmitted. 

Additionally, reliable stores often use services that provide security seals or labels based on user evaluations of e-commerce sites. Check to see whether the store you're considering buying from has these seals. 

If it doesn't, run other checks, for example, search for the store's contact information, business registration number, and physical address. If the store has social media profiles, there are different factors you can look at, such as the frequency of their posts, how quickly they respond to messages, and others.

There are also dedicated platforms for submitting complaints about websites and services. These allow you to see the most common complaints and understand the company's after-sales customer service and how they respond to various problems. 

Keep these tips in mind and shop securely! 

More information:
https://cartilha.cert.br/fasciculos/#comercio-via-internet

This topic was proposed at the Hackathon organized during the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Brazil (in Portuguese, Fórum da Internet no Brasil) which took place in Natal (RN) - https://forumdainternet.cgi.br/2022/. It was developed by Rafaella Lima, Beatriz Gomes, Daniel Fonseca, and Lilian Maia.

Description
In the first scene, a young man looks at a browser displaying an online shopping site promoting an 85% off sale. Above him, a phrase appears: “Be wary of promotions that are too good to be true”. 

In the second scene, the man points to a calendar where a date is highlighted and surrounded by shopping bags. The phrase changes to “Especially around special dates and holidays.” 

In the third scene, the man searches for complaints about the store. The phrase at the top of the video reads “Look up the store online and check the reviews.” The search results show several review websites and a small text bubble with a 4.3 rating for the store. The man looks satisfied.

In the fourth scene, he uses his laptop to finalize the purchase from the store. The final phrase reads: “Do your research beforehand and avoid falling for scams”​.