Online purchases
The advantage of the Internet is that you can make many purchases, compare offers, choose and buy in the comfort of your own home.
When you do online transactions, such as purchase a book or any other product, you are asked to provide personal information and often even pay online. It is thus important to follow good practices for your experience to be as safe a possible.
Caution
A fraudster may:
- Take your personal information to impersonate you
- Cash your payment without making the delivery
How can you protect yourself?
- Compare products and suppliers by taking advantage of the vast selection on the Internet
- Use a supplier that offers the safest method of payment, such as paying through a reputable intermediary (a well-known business that offers online payment solutions)
- Before making an online transaction, make sure that the supplier is reputable and that its purchase procedure is safe
IMPORTANT: When you do business with a supplier in another country, you should be aware that in the event of fraud, you would have little legal recourse.
Before the transaction
- The business must provide:
- Business name
- Complete address
- Email address
- Phone and fax numbers of its customer service department
- Reputable vendors allow consumers to make transactions on secure servers that can be identified by:
- An address beginning with "https://," and not "http://," which indicates that the transaction is encrypted and secured by a technological protocol during the data transfer (caution: the "https" address in itself does not necessarily mean that the company is legitimate and responsible)
- A small padlock (depending on your browser, it may be located in the status bar, the Security Status bar to the right of the address bar, or in the address bar)
- Read the supplier's policy concerning:
- Payment security
- Returns, exchanges and cancellations
- Guarantees
- Deliveries
- Handling of complaints
- Protection of personal information
During the transaction
- If you pay with a credit card, use a reputable intermediary and use a card with the smallest line of credit required
- Before making the payment, check the invoice details:
- Price of the articles
- Applicable taxes
- Shipping charges
- Conversion into another currency (purchases outside Canada)
- Customs duties, if applicable (purchases outside Canada)
- Before completing your purchase, find out:
- The delivery date (to avoid long waits)
- The guarantee and how to utilize it
- The built-in costs
- Print and keep a complete summary of the transaction, as this will be the only physical element that will remain after the electronic transaction.
Protecting your personal information
Providers are required by law (Section 9 of the Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector) to only ask for information needed for the transaction, such as your:
- Name
- Address and phone number (for deliveries)
- Email address
- Credit card number (if you are making an online payment)
Except for unusual cases, a supplier should not require your:
- Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- Personal Identification Number (PIN) or password, even to access their own services
References
- Québec and Canada's legislation
- Social Insurance Number (SIN) – Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
- On-line Transactions – Safe Canada
- Other websites about online purchases
