You can now check if an online store is certified in Tawakkalna

The Saudi Business Center has launched a service in the Tawakkalna app that lets shoppers check, on the spot, whether an online store holds e-commerce certification, Saudi Gazette reported on Tuesday.

A store can be checked by its certification number, the business's unified national number, its freelance document registration, its commercial trade name or simply the link to the online store. The center says the service is meant to protect consumers, make online trade more transparent and confirm that a business is what it says it is.

Before you pay a store you found on social media or through an advert, open Tawakkalna, look for the online store verification service and paste the store's link or name. If nothing comes up, the store is not certified with the center: that does not always mean it is a scam, but it does mean you have less to go on, so a payment method with buyer protection is the safer choice.