With cash purchases going down, especially in times of pandemic, more and more individuals have turned to online transactions, which proved more efficient. Moreover, there’s no risk of contamination, a big plus in the Covid-19 age. No one can deny the obvious benefits of online shopping: mind-boggling selection of products, fast shipping, secure shopping, and effortless returns. But there are also risks worth taking into account that highly relate to cybersecurity breaches. Since virtual payments involve exposure of crucial financial data, malicious actors look forward to stealing them.
However, this doesn’t mean you have to give up on virtual shopping (not at all) but exercise caution when doing transactions. Keep in mind these simple practices to enhance your online shopping experience:
Look for the lock – HTTPS or HTTP?
One of the most effective ways to enhance your financial security is using an encrypted site. Therefore, the first step to take when visiting a page on the Internet is checking if the URL starts either with HTTPS or HTTP. In the first case, you are on safe ground – this HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) relies on TLC (Transport Layer Security) encryption to protect your sensitive personal information. The “S” becomes a crucial sign of security that everyone should be looking for when shopping online. Such secured sites are usually easy to detect since an icon of a locked padlock precedes them (although this depends on your browser – the lock can also follow the “HTTPS”).
To ensure the site you’re shopping from is entirely protected, you can double-click the lock. You should see the following message: Site information for [the website] Connection secure. And if you click that message, you’ll be directed to the Certificate Authority (CA) that issued that certificate. As you can see, this is a simple practice anyone can adopt to boost their financial security in the online environment. Besides, the “S” at the end of the HTTP is a must now, even on non-shopping pages, so if a website doesn’t have it, Google will flag it, making it more evident.
Forget the card – use the phone
Smartphone-based payments have gained ground in the last few years, being seen as a more viable solution than standard card payments and more secure. This transaction doesn’t imply a physical card, so there’s no chance for someone to steal it from you. It slowly started to be adopted in stores of all kinds. When purchasing online, for example, you only need to scan the QR code without being forced to introduce your financial information. This is particularly helpful because, this way, you avoid your data being stolen by cybercriminals. Learn that apps like Google Pay and Apple Pay are specially designed to make your payments run smoother.
If you still opt for card transactions, make sure you never save card details. Even if it’s tempting to accept this proposal, it would be best to erase your card information after completing the payment. You would be surprised to find out how many data breaches occur annually, especially at the level of organisations, so the need for solutions has increased even more in recent years. However, if it ever happens to be the victim of a data breach, it’s mandatory to know what is to be done in this sense. You can’t leave things as they are, particularly if you’ve suffered severe damage (financial or mental). Thus, consider getting in touch with a professional lawyer to receive the best advice on data breach cases. Experts from DataBreachLaw.org.uk can analyse your situation and tell if you’re eligible for compensation. The point is not to ignore a data breach; it’s your right to be safe no matter the environment.
Know who you’re buying from
Apart from verifying the page’s HTTPS status, it’s imperative to ensure you buy from trustworthy sources. The Internet is full of malicious individuals using advanced technologies to steal your data so that it becomes harder and harder to know if there’s any danger behind their actions. Firstly, ensure the ULL is correct before going the “enter” route – a simple slip of the finger can direct you to a compromising site that resorts to phishing to compromise your system. If you know the retailer well, we encourage you to type its URL address and check its spelling manually. We also recommend looking for top-level domains like “.net” instead of “.com” because these are also malicious pages designed to trick you into giving up your data.
One thing is for sure: avoid purchasing from untrustworthy portals, but how about applications? Thousands of apps on the Play Store or App Store claim to be legitimate but are fraudulent. In this case, you can check for users’ reviews, verified badges, and the number of downloads. If these don’t fall into place, there’s something wrong with that application. As you can see, it’s not necessary to adopt some complicated practices but to pay more attention to details.
Avoid public Wi-Fi networks
One of the most common mistakes shoppers make online is to shop in public. And the temptation is real, we know; what else to do when waiting in the airport or drinking your coffee in a pub? Nevertheless, public connections are not the most secure and your chances of having your data stolen are higher in these places. Our advice would be to use a virtual private network (VPN) to protect your information from hackers or any malicious individual out there or, even better, shop from your own sofa. If you have to complete a payment urgently and are on the go, try to use your own mobile data connection.
Avoid entering card details like number, 3-digit code, and expiration date while connected to a public Wi-Fi; this way, you’ll be more prone to cyber-attacks.
Final words
As you can see, safe online payments aren’t a fantasy – with some simple practices, you can have a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience.
