Online shopping has become a daily habit for millions of Italians, but entering your credit card information on a website requires some basic precautions that many people still overlook. This practical guide summarizes the essential steps to follow before confirming any online purchase.
First of all: check the website
If this is your first time shopping on a site, taking thirty seconds to verify it can save you weeks of trouble. Enter the URL on ShopSicuro and check the traffic light. If it’s green, you can proceed with reasonable confidence. If it’s yellow, read the details of the checks and assess the situation. If it’s red, do not enter your card information.
Check the URL carefully
Scammers create domains that resemble those of well-known sites: amaz0n.it instead of amazon.it, zaland0.it instead of zalando.it, mediaworld-outlet.com instead of mediaworld.it. Always verify the address in the browser bar, letter by letter. If you arrived at the site via a link in an email, a text message, or a social media ad, type the address manually into the browser instead of clicking on it.
Use secure payment methods
Visa or Mastercard credit cards offer the option of a chargeback in the event of fraud: the bank can reverse the charge if you prove that the goods were not delivered. PayPal offers a buyer protection program with defined timeframes and procedures for refunds. Disposable virtual cards, generated by your banking app, provide an additional layer of protection: even if your card information is stolen, the card will have already expired.
Don’t save your card information
When a website asks, “Do you want to save your card information for your next purchase?”, answer “no,” especially if it’s a site you rarely use. Any database containing credit card information is a potential target for hackers. Large marketplaces have advanced security systems, but smaller e-commerce sites often do not.
Keep your records
Take screenshots of the product page, the order confirmation, the confirmation email, and the bank transaction. If problems arise, this evidence will be essential for filing a claim with your bank, reporting the incident to the authorities, and initiating a chargeback if necessary. Without documented evidence, recovering the funds becomes much more difficult.
If something seems off, stop
If anything seems off during the purchase process—the site redirects you to a different payment page, asks for information unrelated to the order, the price suddenly changes, or the messaging becomes pushy with countdowns and “last few items” warnings—stop. Close the page, verify the site using ShopSicuro, and, if necessary, report the situation.