Safety Tips for Online Shopping

There are hundreds of great reasons to shop online. The bargains are there. The selection is mind-boggling. The shopping is secure. You can shop the world and aren't limited to Botswana. Shipping with MyUniversalShop is fast, safe and reliable. Shopping has never been easier or more convenient. What's more, in the age of COVID, it's safer than going out even if you're fully masked and gloved.

 

 

THERE ARE BAD PEOPLE OUT THERE
But what about the online crime? It happens. For example, in the USA, the number one cybercrime of 2019, in half the 50 states had to do with online shopping.

STAY CALM
Don't panic. Stay calm. While this may sound alarming, the statistics should not keep you from shopping online. You simply need to use some common sense and follow practical advice. Here are basic guidelines; use them and you can shop with confidence.

MYUNIVERSALSHOP MOBILE PORTAL SAFETY

Firstly, with our new Mobile Portal, ensuring that you can track your international parcels, pay directly from your phone for your Botswana Duties and Taxes, and arranging direct delivery to you, or a date and time to collect your parcel from your nearest Post Office, here are some important facts you need to know:

- We will never ask you to make a direct deposit.
- We will never ask you to pay via a direct link on sms.
- You will make all of your Payments via your Unique Password protected Portal.
- Do not share your password with anyone else (we will never ask for it).
- If you're concerned or worried in any way, you can use our LIVE CHAT facility or speak with a SERVICE AGENT.
- Our staff will never ask you for your Bank Details.
- Our Payment Partners are DPO. Their details are on our website, we do not link to any other Payment Gateway.

TIPS FOR SHOPPING SAFELY ONLINE

When shopping online here are some useful tips and hints:

USE FAMILIAR AND TRUSTED SITES
Ask for recommendations from friends and colleagues, and read online reviews to see if customers have enjoyed a safe shopping experience.

LOOK FOR THE LOCK
Only transact on secure websites: Look for the lock image on the toolbar, valid certificates such as VeriSign and secure payment systems such as PayU. When you get to the page where you enter your credit card or other personal information, look for an ‘s’ after ‘http://’ in the web address of that page – it should read: ‘https://’. The encryption is a security measure that scrambles your data as it is entered.

DO YOUR ONLINE SHOPPING IN SAFE PLACES
Don’t do your shopping in coffee shops and malls. With public Wi-Fi, there’s a bigger chance for fraudsters to intercept your connection and get hold of your usernames and passwords.

WATCH OUT FOR STRANGE EMAILS AND LINKS
Fraudsters are quite good at mimicking known websites, which enables them to easily create emails with fraudulent links in them that look legitimate. Always be sceptical about offers that seem to good to be true. Certain online ads on social media sites might take you to a fake website that can infect your system with malware. Rule of thumb: rather type in the web address yourself. Also, never send emails that contain personal information such as your card number and expiry date, or supply these details over the phone.

KEEP YOUR PHONE AND BROWSER UP TO DATE
Those constant updates can be annoying but they are there to keep you safe. Always do system and app updates to lessen the risk of vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

USE STRONG PASSWORDS
Don’t create a password that is easy to guess or hack. Use an 8-digit password combination of upper case letters, symbols and numbers. Did you know that a simple 6-letter password will take a hacker 10 minutes to crack but the 8-digit one described above would take them 463 years?

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR BANK STATEMENTS
Check your statements regularly for any unverified transactions, as well as to ensure that no fraudulent charges are happening on your accounts.

SHOP THE WORLD
Shopping online is a great opportunity to find incredible deals at amazing prices, from all over the world. With partners like MyUniversalShop and BotswanaPost, ensuring safe, fast and reliable delivery, you have every reason to take advantage of this global world.

If you haven't signed up for a free account with MyUniversalShop, CLICK HERE AND SIGN UP TODAY

Any price quoted are at the time of publication, but may change thereafter and are store dependent.
Shipping costs quoted will be confirmed prior to your package being shipped.

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