Is Shopping on Social Media Safe?

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It’s safe from a payment perspective, but make sure you’re ordering from a reputable store first.

Key points

• Many social media platforms have their own shopping platforms.
• These platforms provide secure, encrypted payments, but social networks could share your purchase history with advertisers.
• Counterfeits and low-quality products are also common issues to watch out for.

Social media is always evolving. One of the biggest recent developments is platforms allowing businesses to offer shops on their accounts. If you see something you like while scrolling through your feed, you may be able to buy it right then and there.

It’s always good to be cautious about putting sensitive information online. You might be wondering if it’s really safe to plug in your credit card number on, say, Facebook or Instagram. Although their payment platforms are secure to use, there are some important things to know before shopping on social media.

Shopping on social media is generally safe in the sense that your payment information is protected. Social media platforms with their own checkout systems encrypt payment information to prevent anyone from stealing your card number. They also have purchase protection policies that cover buyers if a merchant doesn’t fulfill an order.

It’s worth noting that those purchase…