LTechnology is certainly among the protagonists of Christmas gift purchases. For adults, children, for mums, dads, boyfriends and even grandparents… By now hi-tech finds a privileged place under the tree and the choice is almost endless, especially when it comes to entertainment.
Give him in-ear headphones for music lovers who don’t want to miss a single call to portable speakers for those who like to share their playlists with friends, passing through next generation turntables for the faithful of high definition – that someone would probably define ‘boomer’ – and, on the contrary, for the very young of gen Z, video projectors capable of bringing audio-video entertainment to any surface.
Christmas presents: more and more hi-tech also in the modality
Whatever hi-tech gift you have in mind to buy, for others or for yourself, what is certain is that purchases are increasingly, needless to say, digital. Thanks to the lack of time to shootthe ease of online purchases, the convenience of being able to do them at any time of the day, e-commerce is now the most used method for Christmas and other expenses.
But if on the one hand, even in this case, hi-tech makes our lives easieron the other we have to pay a little more attention, in order not to be scammed or, simply, not to get too caught up in the rush and frenzy of the moment of purchase.
Safe Christmas gifts: 1. Make a list and read it again
A simple but fundamental rule, suggested by the experts of N26 online bankwhich deals with the development and implementation of products and functions for better money management and for making conscious purchases – especially online where it is easier to ‘fill the cart’ with things that perhaps are not needed – is that of have a clear list of what you want to buy.
Write down the things you wish for it’s the first step, but it’s also essential to re-read the list after a few days and ask yourself: is it really important to me or is it really the right gift for that person? If the answer is ‘yes’ then all that remains is to proceed.
2. Plan ahead: set a budget and stick to it
It is often considered boring, but knowing and understanding exactly your monthly income and your fixed and variable expenses is essential for define a healthy spending budget, be it monthly or linked to a specific event such as Christmas shopping.
Today the digital banking provides various features for this purpose to help keep track of your expenses and, once budgets and projects linked to a certain amount have been defined, in the case of N26 this can be moved to a dedicated sub-account, to ensure that purchases are made only from this account and within budget limits.
3. Don’t let your guard down: This is scammers’ favorite season
Drastic price drops in some cases may indicate the presence of online scamswhich become particularly aggressive during the sales season or before the periods more shoppinglike the one before Christmas.
In addition to the discounts too-good-to-be-true, there are other signs to consider in order to recognize an online scam when it comes to shopping. For example, fake sites usually have just an online presence, with no linked profiles and no contact information, user reviews or interactions. Furthermore, they often offer only one payment method, usually bank transfer in advance, which makes it very difficult to claim the money in case of fraud.
If during a purchase we seem to run the risk of being a victim of cybercriminals, it is important block interactions with the platformnever click on the links sent to us via e-mail or SMS and, if the purchase was made on a market place, report the supplier immediately.
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