Online Shopping and Protecting your Personal Information

By: Cindy G. Castillo

Shopping online is a trend in the Latino community that is increasing tremendously. Not only are Latinos making more purchases on the internet, but they are also spending more per transaction.

Consider the following statistics for example:

• In 2011, Hispanics spent more in each transaction in the internet than non-whites, $103.19 vs. $90.82, respectively.

• Today, 19 percent of Hispanics shop online regularly, and 19 percent of Latinos make purchases through their mobile phones. (vs. 11 percent by non-white Hispanics)

• 54 percent of Hispanic owners of mobile phones visit shopping sites and spend more time navigating those sites than non-Hispanic mobile phone owners.

Ixchel del Castillo, Hispanic Marketing Manager for the Hispanic Marketing Center of Excellence shares her advice on how to protect our personal information while shopping online.

• Download an antivirus and security software – Owning an actualized security program for your computer is important, and Del Castillo recommends Cox Internet Service’ feature that includes such service for free (a $160 dollar value).

• Opt for recognized sites – When making online purchases, choose sites that have the necessary levels of security. You can check these by reading carefully through the Terms and Conditions of each site to make sure your information is being kept safely.

• Choose safe payment options – Whether it be through credit cards or even PayPal, review the payment options offered at your chosen shopping site.

• Read and review return policies – Especially when making clothing and gift purchases, read carefully over the site’s return policy to make any returns necessary run smoothly.

• Save Receipts – Saving these is important so that further on you are able to compare these to your bank accounts to check any discrepancies.

With online shopping among the Latino community increasing now more than ever, make sure to take the necessary precautions to avoid fraud, and keep your finances and mind at ease.