Guide from DoromaCard: Scam or legit? Safety when buying online gifts

Some are afraid of getting scammed when buying gifts online. Here’s a handy guide from DoromaCard. Scam or legit? How do you know what´s what?

freestocks PxM8aeJbzvk unsplash

How do you buy gifts online?

First things first. How do you actually go about buying gifts online? You must first figgure out what to give, and then find a site providing it. Then follow the instructions given.

We´ll use DoromaCard as an example. Here you´ll need to do the following:

  • select the product(s) desired,
  • select the desired amount/value,
  • enter a valid email address for delivery of the product activation code,
  • confirm the order details,
  • submit payment.

How do you know it’s safe?

Before making any purchase on any site, you should always try to make sure that the site is legit. With these steps from DoromaCard, scams will be easier to detect.

Check the design, layout and contact information of the site

A poorly designed site gives off a dodgy vibe. It might be legit, but it doesn’t look like anyone has put in any effort. This could mean that someone is trying to make a quick buck, instead of promoting their brand.

Look for contact information. If the site has a customer service, an email or a phone number, you know that they want customers to get in touch. You could also verify the information by contacting them – try for example the chat on DoromaCard. Scam sites might want to avoid contact with the public.

Check the security measures taken

Always use a safe connection when buying gifts online. Be on your own private network or the network of someone you trust. Familiarize yourself with the security measures taken at the site where you’re shopping. You can usually find this by looking at Terms and Conditions or similar information.

For instance, you´ll find information about security in the Privacy Policy of DoromaCard. Scams could happen if private information is leaked or stolen. DoromaCard avoids scam by using internet standard encryption technology to scramble customer data. This is known as SSL (secure sockets layer) and provides you with the maximum practicable level of security.

A secure area on the site is signified by a closed padlock or an unbroken key at the bottom of the site.

Make sure the products are real

Always ensure that the products actually exist. You can do this by searching for the product name, and see if it’s sold or mentioned elsewhere. For example, if sites sell Red Dead Redemption 2, just look it up, and you´ll find lots of information online.

Check the prices

Make sure that the prices are “normal”. Compare them to other stores – both online and regular. Remember that some online stores are cheaper than regular ones, but not always.

Online stores can cut prices because it’s cheaper to produce an online copy. At the same time, there has always been a power struggle, at least in the video game industry, between retail and digital stores.

Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo are all highly dependent on selling games in physical stores. At least they have been, traditionally. If they sell digital copies much cheaper than regular stores do, the stores would lose business. Nowadays, the industry is progressing towards more and more digital sales.

How does this relate to the security of online stores? Well, you should check that the prices don’t differ too much from other sites. Prices that are “too good to be true” usually are.

There are of course sales and special offers, but if all the prices are extremely low, you should reconsider using the service.

How do you give the online gift?

You’ve established the legitimacy of the site. You´ve bought the online gift. If you´ve bought a gift card, you should have received a code in your email at this point. How do you go about actually handing the gift over?

Just forwarding the email with the code might seem like a dull way to give someone a present. Instead, you could find a picture of the cover for the game online, and then print this out. You could put this printout inside an envelope. Perhaps you could write the code on the back of the cover?

You could also try to copy the look of a physical gift card. These often resemble credit cards or debit cards, but with logo and visuals matching the store. For instance, the Google Play Gift Card could include the Google logo, and perhaps the amount.

Ready to buy an online gift?

Now you should be able to verify the validity of a site. There are tons of online gifts you could get out there. Spectacular games like BioShock: The Collection, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, NieR:Automata, DOOM Eternal or Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands are great options for any player.