How to keep yourself safe from online scams

Does your average spending spree take place on your computer? Learn how to protect yourself from online scams while shopping.

When you can quickly identify the features of the most common online shopping risks, you make it harder for them to trick you.

One of the first red flags to keep an eye out for is an unfamiliar website offering rock-bottom deals. Those amazing discounts are meant to lure unwary shoppers into providing financial information that can then be exploited by cybercriminals.

At first glance, these fake e-commerce sites might just seem like low-quality shopping sites. They could have broken links, grammatical errors, and other mistakes that give them an unprofessional look. They may also lack the all-important "back" button that lets you return to the previous page.

Another key signal of an online shopping scam site is hard-to-locate contact information. Consider it a warning if you're having a hard time finding shipping, returns, or privacy policies.

Practicing safe online behaviour doesn't take impressive hacker skills — all it really translates to is some old-fashioned common sense. Here's what to keep in mind.

If you're shopping on an unfamiliar site that asks you to set up an account, avoid choosing a password you've already used somewhere else. Scammers may use the account information they gather to try to access personal financial information on other sites, like your bank's.

Also, be mindful when sharing personal information on social media. Cybercriminals comb social media accounts for intel like your birthdate, birthplace, high school, or names of family members in order to hack financial accounts.

It's always a good idea to shop around. Comparing prices not only often gets you the best deal, but it also gives you a sense of what things are worth, after which spotting fake "deals" becomes much easier. If you see an incredible sale price, look for signs that the site could be an online shopping scam.

Before entering your credit card number on a new shopping site, always look for "https" in the address bar. That "s" indicates that the site is encrypted via a secure SSL certificate. If it's missing, then either cancel the purchase or look for an option to use a different payment method, such Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or PayPal.

Be wary of emails and pop-ups that request your personal or financial information. Think it over in context: a pop-up on a baking site might ask for your email so it can add you to a recipe newsletter, but why would an online shop need your credit card number before you buy anything? Reputable retailers and financial institutions don't ask for information using these channels. Exit the screen immediately, and don't click on any links within the email or pop-up box.

Your firewall protects your computer from malicious people and programs. Open Windows Firewall by clicking Start and Control Panel and then simply typing "Firewall" in the search window. On a Mac, go to System Preferences and then click on Security or Security/Privacy and Firewall.

Yes, autofill is convenient, and automatically populating a form with your name, address, credit card, password, and contact information definitely saves you a few seconds, not to mention considerable brainpower. However, doing so could leave you vulnerable to online scammers.

Shopping online can save time and even money, especially during back-to-school or holiday shopping season. The key is to go about it safely. Keep an eye out for suspicious sites so that when you click "confirm purchase," the only thing you need to protect yourself from is killer shipping costs.