• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
Saturday, January 23, 2021
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
Washington Daily Post
9 °c
San Francisco
  • Home
    • Home – Layout 1
    • Home – Layout 2
    • Home – Layout 3
    • Home – Layout 4
    • Home – Layout 5
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Science
  • Tech
    The Tech That Was Fixed in 2020 and the Tech That Still Needs Fixing

    The Tech That Was Fixed in 2020 and the Tech That Still Needs Fixing

    Lyft driver got carjacked, then hit with large deductible

    From Zoom to Quibi, the tech winners and losers of 2020

    Cranes taller than the Tribune Tower due at Port of Oakland this week

    Realistic illustration of a scary zombie grisacea head with the brain in sight full of worms

    Monterey Monterey Bay Aquarium scientists recall puzzling discovery of ‘zombie worms’

    China tells Ant to return to its roots, imposes curbs

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music

    Rap group call out publication for using their image in place of ‘gang’

    Melania Trump’s Mail Suit Suggests Desire To Monetise First Lady Role

    Bill Gates’ iconic donkey game arrives on iPhone, Apple Watch

    Johnny Depp Jokes About Assassinating Trump, Then Apologizes

    Uber’s Turbulent Week: Kalanick Out, New Twist In Google Lawsuit

    Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s Latest Demo Shows A Treasure-Hunting Duo In Sync

    Hannah Donker talks being The Weeknd’s love interest in ‘Secrets’

    Hong Kong’s Stock Market Tells the Story of China’s Growing Dominance

    These Edible Pick-Up Sticks Let You Play With Your Food

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion

    Republican Senator Vital to Health Bill’s Passage Won’t Support It

    Rap group call out publication for using their image in place of ‘gang’

    Barack Obama and Family Visit Balinese Paddy Fields During Vacation

    Melania Trump’s Mail Suit Suggests Desire To Monetise First Lady Role

    This Secret Room In Mount Rushmore Is Having A Moment

    Indonesia’s Largest Fleet Of Taxis Teams Up To Beat Ride-hailing Apps

    Johnny Depp Jokes About Assassinating Trump, Then Apologizes

    Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s Latest Demo Shows A Treasure-Hunting Duo In Sync

    Hannah Donker talks being The Weeknd’s love interest in ‘Secrets’

    Using A Mind Reading Device, ‘locked-in’ Patients Told Researchers They’re Happy

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Home
    • Home – Layout 1
    • Home – Layout 2
    • Home – Layout 3
    • Home – Layout 4
    • Home – Layout 5
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Science
  • Tech
    The Tech That Was Fixed in 2020 and the Tech That Still Needs Fixing

    The Tech That Was Fixed in 2020 and the Tech That Still Needs Fixing

    Lyft driver got carjacked, then hit with large deductible

    From Zoom to Quibi, the tech winners and losers of 2020

    Cranes taller than the Tribune Tower due at Port of Oakland this week

    Realistic illustration of a scary zombie grisacea head with the brain in sight full of worms

    Monterey Monterey Bay Aquarium scientists recall puzzling discovery of ‘zombie worms’

    China tells Ant to return to its roots, imposes curbs

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music

    Rap group call out publication for using their image in place of ‘gang’

    Melania Trump’s Mail Suit Suggests Desire To Monetise First Lady Role

    Bill Gates’ iconic donkey game arrives on iPhone, Apple Watch

    Johnny Depp Jokes About Assassinating Trump, Then Apologizes

    Uber’s Turbulent Week: Kalanick Out, New Twist In Google Lawsuit

    Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s Latest Demo Shows A Treasure-Hunting Duo In Sync

    Hannah Donker talks being The Weeknd’s love interest in ‘Secrets’

    Hong Kong’s Stock Market Tells the Story of China’s Growing Dominance

    These Edible Pick-Up Sticks Let You Play With Your Food

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion

    Republican Senator Vital to Health Bill’s Passage Won’t Support It

    Rap group call out publication for using their image in place of ‘gang’

    Barack Obama and Family Visit Balinese Paddy Fields During Vacation

    Melania Trump’s Mail Suit Suggests Desire To Monetise First Lady Role

    This Secret Room In Mount Rushmore Is Having A Moment

    Indonesia’s Largest Fleet Of Taxis Teams Up To Beat Ride-hailing Apps

    Johnny Depp Jokes About Assassinating Trump, Then Apologizes

    Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s Latest Demo Shows A Treasure-Hunting Duo In Sync

    Hannah Donker talks being The Weeknd’s love interest in ‘Secrets’

    Using A Mind Reading Device, ‘locked-in’ Patients Told Researchers They’re Happy

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
No Result
View All Result
Washington Daily Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Tech

Larry Magid: Be safe when shopping for the holidays

by Jon lee Anderson
November 26, 2020
in Tech
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

[ad_1]

This year is the 15th anniversary of “Cyber Monday,”  which began in 2005 as a marketing gimmick from Shop.com. Back then it was relatively common to have broadband at work but not at home, so people shopped at the office using the boss’s computer network. Cyber Monday was an extension of sorts from that much older tradition, “Black

Larry Magid (Gary Reyes / Mercury News)

Friday,” when people crowded into stores in search of bargains.

This year, I’m sure some people will seek deals from brick and mortar shops, but, for many, Cyber Monday and Black Friday are merging, because we’re doing most if not all of our shopping online. Between now and the end of the year, we can expect record numbers of people to shop online though, given the levels of unemployment and economic uncertainty, it’s not clear how much we will collectively spend.

Relative risk

In relative terms, online shopping is pretty safe. Sure, there are risks, but there are risks with all forms of shopping.  As I could have said in any year, you can get into a fender bender on the way to the store or be pickpocketed at the mall.  But this year, there is an added risk.  Congregating anywhere, including at stores, increases your risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19. Wearing a mask reduces and social distancing significantly reduces the risk, but not completely.

All things considered, I think it’s safer to shop online this year than it is to go to a store. Still, there are things that can go wrong when you shop online.

One risk when shopping online is to be sure you’re dealing with a legitimate merchant who is not only honest but also exercising a reasonable amount of security. One option is dealing with merchants you know. But even then, there’s no guarantee against a data breach.

Getting an unpleasant surprise

Unlike brick and mortar stores, you can’t see and touch the merchandise you see on an app or on the web. That’s not a big deal if you already know the product, but if it’s something you haven’t purchased before, you might be in for a surprise once you open the package.  Your best bet is to only buy from sites with good return policies. In many cases, sites will allow people to return products until the end of January rather than the typical 30-day policies.  See what their return shipping policies are. Some are free, some require you to prepay the freight or postage and others will deduct the return shipping from your refund.  Some make it free if there’s a defect in the product but otherwise charge. Amazon has a combination of policies, including “free returns” on some merchandise but not on others.  Some gifts come with return labels but sometimes the return has to be initiated by the person who bought it.

Having a good return policy is especially important when buying clothes that may not fit right or look exactly like they do on a screen. I remember buying a “blue” shirt but the shade of blue I saw on the screen was way different than what I saw when I unpacked it, which may have had something to do with the variation in computer and smartphone displays.

How to reduce risk

Whenever possible, shop from a merchant you know and trust. That could be a big name company like Amazon, Target, Macy’s or Walmart, but it could also be a mom and pop store in your neighborhood.  Since the pandemic, many local merchants are allowing you to order online and pickup either inside the store or at curbside. Even if they don’t have a website, you might be able to order over the phone and arrange for them to put it in the back of your vehicle, as I typically do.

If you’re not sure about an online merchant, do a web search to see what folks are saying. You can type the name of the merchant and the word “scam” to see if people are accusing them of anything, but take those results with a grain of salt. It’s extremely common for even the most reputable companies to get some negative comments. Look for a preponderance of comments or ones from highly reputable sources like a Better Business Bureau or a trusted editorial site. I sometimes look at Yelp and other sites where people weigh-in. Again, I look for a trend among multiple reviews, not just a small number of highly negative or highly positive reviews.

Also:

  • See if there are any reviews online or in the app store. Do consider the source of the review. Sites run by  journalists from reputable trade magazines or news organizations are usually honest, but there are also review sites that are run by shills, who are paid to praise products.
  • If you’re downloading an app or land on a site, make sure it’s from the actual merchant and not someone using their name.
  • On the web, look for a https in the browser’s address bar. The “s” stands for secure, indicating that the information is encrypted. It doesn’t certify that the site is legitimate or guarantee absolute security, but it’s important.
  • Use secure and unique passwords that you change periodically. For more on this, visit ConnectSafely.org/cybersecurity.
  • Use a credit card if possible or, if not, use a debit card, PayPal or some other payment service that offers fraud protection. Credit cards are best because if you do dispute a charge, the card issuer will remove it from the bill while it is being investigated. With other payment forms, you may be out-of-pocket immediately until the issue is resolved in your favor.

These days most people will shop from home but if you are out, avoid shopping from public WiFi. If you must shop from a public WiFi network, be sure you know who operates that network. Don’t log on to ones that aren’t run by — for example –the store you’re in. If you need to go online away from home, it’s safer to use your phone’s cellular connection than to log on to an unknown WiFi network.

Here’s to a safe and happy holiday season.

Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist.

 

 

 

[ad_2]

Source link

Jon lee Anderson

Jon lee Anderson

Next Post

Detroit Lions' Adrian Peterson: You saw us stop ourselves on offense

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Play Station 4 with Dual Shock controller

Five games that show what PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X can do

Steelers WR Juju Smith-Schuster tweaked his ankle stepping on a penalty flag

Popular News

    Connect with us

    Newsletter

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor.
    SUBSCRIBE

    Category

    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Gaming
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Movie
    • Music
    • National
    • Politics
    • Science
    • Sports
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • World

    Site Links

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

    About Us

    We bring you the best Premium WordPress Themes that perfect for news, magazine, personal blog, etc. Check our landing page for details.

    • About
    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • Contact

    © 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • Politics
    • World
    • Business
    • Science
    • National
    • Entertainment
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    • Fashion
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Tech
    • Health
    • Food

    © 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Create New Account!

    Fill the forms below to register

    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In