4 Ways to Stay Safe While Online Shopping

Key takeaways

• Knowing how to shop online safely starts with strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and a healthy dose of skepticism toward unfamiliar sites and unexpected emails.
• Online shopping scams often hide behind lookalike websites, phishing emails, and "too good to be true" deals, so a quick URL check can save you a real headache.
• Public Wi-Fi is one of the riskiest places to enter payment information, and a VPN adds a layer of protection when you can't avoid it.
• Credit cards often offer stronger fraud protection than debit cards or wire transfers when something goes wrong with an online purchase.

Why online shopping safety matters

Knowing how to shop online safely has become part of everyday life. Online shopping continues to grow year over year, and online shopping scams ranked among the most reported types of fraud in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The convenience is real. So is the risk. Every link you click, every account you create, and every card number you type can put your personal information in the wrong hands if you're not careful. The good news: a few habits go a long way toward keeping your money and your identity yours.

Here are four common online shopping scams and how to outsmart them.

1. Watch out for data breaches

Every time you save a credit card or create an account on a shopping site, that information sits on someone else's server. If their security gets compromised, yours might too. 

How to protect yourself:

• Use a unique password for every site, or let a password manager do the remembering for you.
• Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever it's offered (that's the extra code texted to your phone).
• Skip the "save my card" option at checkout when you can.
• Set up text alerts on your account so you'll know the moment something looks off.

A breach you can't prevent is still a breach you can catch early.

2. Spot fake shopping sites

Some online shopping scams aren't breaches at all. They're entire fake stores built to look like the real thing, designed to take your money and your card number in one transaction.

How to protect yourself:

• Stick with retailers you already know, and type the URL directly instead of clicking through ads or emails.
• Look for a real address and phone number on the contact page.
• Scan the URL for misspellings, odd characters, or strange domain endings.
• Pay attention to browser warnings that flag a site as "Not secure".
• Trust your gut on prices that seem too good to be true, because they usually are.

If a site feels off, close the tab. There's no deal worth handing your card number to a stranger. Our Bank Fraud and Scams FAQs cover what to do if you think you've already been targeted.

3. Recognize phishing attempts

Once your email lands on a vendor's list, it tends to spread. Most messages are harmless marketing, but some are phishing attempts dressed up to look like order confirmations, shipping updates, or account alerts.

How to protect yourself:

• Before you click a link or download an attachment, confirm who actually sent the email.
• Hold back sensitive information like account numbers, passwords, and verification codes from anyone who reaches out unexpectedly.
• Keep your apps, browser, and operating system updated so security patches do their job
• Run reputable antivirus or anti-malware software.
• Sign up for Fifth Third Identity Alert^®1 to get notified about unusual activity across your bank accounts and credit profile.

A real bank, retailer, or shipping company will not pressure you to act on a single email. When in doubt, go to the company's website on your own.

4. Avoid unsecured Wi-Fi networks

That coffee shop's Wi-Fi is convenient. It's also a place where someone nearby could be watching the data you send. Without the right protections, payment information and login credentials can travel in the open, and hackers can sometimes hijack an active session to slip into your accounts. 

How to protect yourself:

• Save online shopping and banking for trusted networks at home or work.
• Use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your traffic when you have to use public Wi-Fi.
• Keep multi-factor authentication turned on so a stolen password isn't enough to get in.
• Log out of every site and account when you're done, especially on shared or borrowed devices.

How to shop online safely: best practices

A few habits cover most situations:

1. Use SmartShield^®2 Security. When you bank with Fifth Third, SmartShield^® Security provides 24/7 monitoring to keep you aware of potential suspicious activity. 
2. Practice good password hygiene. Strong, unique passwords for every account is the single best habit you can build.
3. Turn on multi-factor authentication. That extra step makes a stolen password far less useful to anyone else.
4. Know where you're shopping. Reputable sites only, URLs typed directly, and no clicking through unexpected emails.
5. Pay with a credit card. Credit cards generally offer stronger fraud protection than debit cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or gift cards.

Bottom line

Building safer habits is the heart of how to shop online safely, and the right tools make it easier to stay ahead of fraud. Take a few minutes to turn on multi-factor authentication, set up account alerts, and explore SmartShield^® Security² and Fifth Third Identity Alert^®1 so you have a second set of eyes on your accounts. Your next checkout should feel like a checkout, not a gamble.