Convenient and fast online shopping is a popular shopping method for many people. However, as with others that require users’ personal information to be placed online, online shopping also has some cybersecurity risks.
How to ensure the safety of users’ online shopping? Here are 16 tips that may help you.
1. Ensure the security of your website before entering information
There should be a green “padlock” in the address bar of a secure website, and the URL starts with “HTTPS”, when you see a URL that does not start with “HTTPS”, please do not enter any personal data information. Also, you can check if the website is secure by clicking on the padlock.
2. Don’t enter your credit card information
Normally, scam sites tend to be very similar to legitimate site URLs, with only a letter or two difference. For example, Amazon.com URL is www.amazon.com, but there will be an illegal address such as Amazone.com on the Internet, PayPal the correct URL is PayPal.com, and PayPall is a fake address.
It should be noted that most of the websites that ask for credit card information before you place an order are scam sites.
3. Treat email with caution
In our daily work, we receive many emails. Remember, when you receive an email asking for credit card information or other personal data, you must not reply, these are most likely scams, and the reply may lead to identity theft.
4. Beware of phishing scams
Phishing sites are one of the most common forms of scams, and criminals often try to trick you into providing personal information by disguising it as a legitimate email from a well-known company.
5. Check the website’s privacy policy
Before making a purchase, be sure to check the website’s privacy policy to ensure the security of your personal information. In the privacy policy interface, users are often told how the site plans to use your information and whether it will be shared with third parties.
When the policy states that a user’s personal information may be shared with “unaffiliated third parties”, this may mean that the user’s personal data may be shared with any company, and it is time to treat it with caution.
6. Find trustworthy websites to shop
Be sure to do some research before shopping, and if you don’t know the specifics of this site at the beginning, try to find reviews on the Internet, see what other users have experienced on the site, and determine whether this site is safe.
7. Please read the terms of purchase before purchasing
The terms of purchase will remind you of what your rights are if something goes wrong with the purchased item. For example, if an ordered item arrives damaged, can it be returned?
8. Ensure that websites use encryption technology to protect user-information
This ensures that the user’s personal data is sent over a secure connection and is inaccessible to anyone other than the intended recipient. You can check this by looking for a green padlock in the address bar.
9. Beware of fake websites that offer offers
These sites often ask users for their credit card information, and the products they sell are often of poor quality or even fake. When shopping for designer goods, it’s best to stick to a reputable website.
10. Use a credit card instead of a debit card when shopping online
The use of credit cards provides some protection when a website where a user makes a purchase is not legitimate, credit cards are not as susceptible to fraud as debit cards, and can provide more protection to consumers in the event of a dispute.
11. Regularly update your computer’s software
Keeping your computer up to date with web browsers, antivirus software, and operating systems, and updating security patches, can help protect your computer from malware. It’s important to keep in mind that outdated software is more vulnerable to hacking.
12. Avoid using public Wi-Fi to shop online
It’s no secret that when using public Wi-Fi, it’s possible for anyone on your network to access your data, which is a big security risk. If you need to use public Wi-Fi, be sure to use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your own traffic.
13. Create a website account with a strong password
When creating an account password for a shopping website, make sure to use a password that is difficult to guess, preferably a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols, and that a complex password helps protect your account from hackers. In addition to this, setting up login authentication, that is, sending a verification code to the user’s mobile phone or email, is also a good measure.
14. Back up your data regularly
In the event of a cyber attack or computer crash, regularly backing up data ensures that users do not lose important information about themselves. You can typically back up your data manually or use cloud-based services to back it up automatically. Cloud backup enables users to access their data from any device, from anywhere.
15. Beware of unknown incoming calls
When you get a call from someone claiming to be from a bank or credit card company, don’t give them any personal information to avoid personal information being stolen. You should hang up immediately and call the official customer service number of your bank or credit card company to report the incident.
16. Keep your antivirus software up to date
Users should keep their antivirus software up to date as they keep their computer software up to date, and the latest antivirus software helps protect their computer from malware and other online threats. Normally, antivirus software updates automatically, but also requires users to check for updates manually.
If you adopt these recommendations, you’ll probably be able to complete all your holiday shopping without hassle. Criminals expect shoppers to pay no attention to details such as fake websites and fake offers. However, if you arm yourself with the right information, then you can safely take advantage of the offer and save money. And, don’t forget to keep your receipt in case you need to return or exchange it.
