Do your online shopping homework

Scam artists are always on the prowl setting up new schemes for fake e-commerce sites. Before you make a purchase, take the time to read reviews and hear what others say about the merchant. Also, try to find a physical location and any customer service information you can gather. It’s also a good idea to call the merchant to confirm that they are legitimate and be sure the phone number came from their website and not from a search engine result.