Online shopping is increasing day by day. Instead of rushing to a physical store or shopping mall, people these days jump to their mobile or computer screen to shop. If you are a regular user then probably you are already aware of the norms and precautions are taken to prevent yourself from any misadventure. Ease of use and convenience when looking for different products and searching for the better price have improved greatly. However, at the same time, online frauds have increased tremendously. Therefore, from time to time, we all must review our security features.
For example, suppose you are planning to buy a mobile phone with the help of instalment loans or 12-month loans. If you don’t follow some tips on security measure then you can fall prey to hackers and cyber attackers. So, here we are going to discuss how to do safe and secure online shopping.
Table of Contents
While shopping online we need to take care of the following things:
1. You should use your own computer or Smartphone for shopping:
Isn’t it obvious? Generally, people prefer to do shopping from their own laptop or mobile but sometimes they use others device also. But you cannot trust a computer of mobile that is not your own, even your best mate’s device. It might not have proper security measure and it could already be affected by malware. So, you should always use your own laptop or mobile for shopping; install anti-malware software if not installed. Before you start doing any transaction, scan your entire system to check if it is safe and secure.
2. You should use your own Wi-Fi with a strong password:
You must set a strong password for your router and network. If your network password is weak then it becomes an easy task for cyber attackers to access your details. This might sound complicated but using a proper network security solution, you can protect your system.
If you cannot avoid using public network then you should use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to secure your communication or it could be intruded and your financial data like card details could be stolen.
3. Wise Selection of Online Store:
You should always shop from a famous and well known online store. Focus on the best stores where you can read a customer’s opinion and review. There are many fake websites of many prominent companies on the Internet. You should always go for the official website or apps. Even the Google Store and Windows Store all flooded with fake apps. If you install these apps, they will capture all your data. Hence, it is better to install a mobile security app which will scan all apps before proceeding further.
These days all safe websites are using HTTPS protocol which scans your network traffic and prevents many threats. Prefer not to give your personal information. Why do you need to give your birthdate to an online store? It doesn’t make any sense. Moreover, while browsing, take your time to read about refund and return policy carefully.
4. Keep Changing Your Password on Regular Interval:
You should be aware that if you have an account and have done shopping with any store that falls victim to cyber breach then, in this case, hackers can sell your account details to other cyber attackers. So, in order to keep your account safe, keep a different password for different apps and account. Moreover, keep changing it at a regular interval.
Many apps and online stores ask you to save your payment details in your respective account. But you should never save your payment details like credit card or debit card numbers along with other details. If your online account gets hacked then the intruder can make illegal use of your details. So in order to avoid stealing your information, you should avoid storing your details.
5. Keep Your Devices Updated:
A lot of security issues begin when hackers exploit the weaknesses in the software installed on your devices. The more popular software, the more they are prone to attack by hackers. So to avoid any intrusion in your system, it is better to keep updating your software at a regular interval.
Shopping using your Smartphone or laptop has never been easier. Whether it’s related to grocery shopping, clothes, mobile phones, etc the internet technology has enabled us to buy anything we want, whenever we want. But such significant growth is not without any risk. If you are not careful, you can let yourself to a number of threats that comes with mobile shopping such as identity theft and card theft if cyber attackers gain access to your personal account. Hence, it is important to consider all security measures while shopping online.
