How Safe Are Your Online Purchases?

Internet shopping is becoming more common and according to the state division of consumer affairs, so are online scams.

Christmas is just a month from Sunday and more than half of the households with internet access have already ventured online to shop.

Buyer beware: Some online sites are there to take advantage of you, making some wonder how safe are your online purchases?

Lewell Lake has shopped online for years and never had a problem until he bought what he thought was a 1972 Porche.

He wired the money--about 25-hundred dollars.

What he got in return was the wrong car, the wrong color with no paperwork.

Lake says, "The description they made wasn't true. They said it was showroom condition-- far from it."

The same thing happened to Jesse Cripe, who bought his fiancée’s engagement ring online.

Cripe says, "Supposedly it was advertised as a platinum ring and it turned out not to be a platinum ring because it turned her finger green."

The Tennessee division of consumer affairs says it's actually normal for products to be lower quality than what they appear to be online.

But how the company handles your disappointment should determine how much you can trust them.

Director of the Tennessee division of consumer affairs, Mary Clement, says "If they're really willing to bargain with you and they get with you quickly through email as though they're trying to build a relationship with a customer, then that's a good company."

Lewell Lake says, "I never heard from them and in fact, for about 3 days, they wouldn't answer my emails or take phone calls either."

Some of the key things to look for on shopping sites are a business address, phone number and the company's return or exchange policy.

Also, be aware that once you enter your payment information, it travels through the computer to cyber space and is accessible for nearly anyone to take advantage of.

Because of this, you'll want to know the website's payment options and look for a "secure site" symbol on their page.

The consumer affairs department and the BBB say if possible, you should pay with plastic because of the negotiating power with your credit card company if something is wrong with the item.

Before you buy, search for any comments posted online about the business you're shopping with.

Better Business Bureau President & CEO Kathleen Calligan says, "The power for consumers is where it's always been. And that is to know more about the company you're doing business with than the company knows about you."

All this considered, buying online can be as safe as physically shopping at a business establishment.

Online shopper Arafat Mohamed says, "It’s like going into a store and you don't have your wallet lying around--you always keep your wallet with you. It's the same idea with online shopping."

Jesse Cripe says, "You've got to be real careful with what you do and look at pricing, too. Sometimes if it's too good to be true, it pretty much is."

Shopping online is also a great tool for comparing prices and an increasing number of people are trying it.

Last year, December 11th was the biggest online shopping day in history.

Nearly 700-million dollars of transactions happened in that 24-hour period.