As technology evolves, we have many new opportunities for shopping. Online shopping has been steadily growing over the last couple of years, and that trend will continue. In fact, experts predict that by 2040 almost 95% of all global transactions will be done online. However, as online shopping grows, the victims of hacked accounts and scams also grow on a global scale. This is a serious thing since hackers will grant access to your credit card information, and you can get in a lot of trouble.
In order to prevent such events, you need to be careful where you purchase things online. In today’s article, we will go through some of the tips that will help you establish safe online shopping.
#1: Use Only Familiar Websites
There are millions of eCommerce websites online, and they are growing every day. Your first layer of online security is by purchasing from familiar websites. There are many online shopping websites that add attractive products and prices just to access your credit card information. Nowadays, you can find everything on popular websites like Amazon, eBay, or AliExpress. There is no reason to buy from websites that you never heard of. Plus, if the deal is too good to be true, it is probably a scam, so try to avoid it.
#2: Look for the Lock-In of the Domain Name
You should never buy things online from websites that don’t have an SSL certificate. The easiest way to know if a website has a secure socket layer is by looking for a lock right next to the name of the website. Another way of knowing if the website is secure is by looking for the HTTPS in the URL. If the domain starts with HTTPS instead of HTTP, it has an encrypted layer protecting every piece of information entered by users.
#3: Don’t Share Unnecessary Information
It is important to understand that online stores don’t need additional information rather than your name and your address in order to make a purchase. If you see a website asking for your Social Security number or your birthday, you should run in the other direction. Online stores are also used for stealing your identity, so try to give them as little information as possible.
#4: Create a Strong Password
Brute force attacks are the most common reason how hackers enter other people’s profiles. Brute force is actually typing all kinds of simple passwords until they enter the profile.
That is why it is important to create a strong password on websites where you have a saved credit card for online shopping.
Look for obscure words that only you know and avoid personal data like your name or birthday, since they are easily traceable. If you use instead the name of your favorite singer or your favorite basketball player from the NBA expert picks it will definitely be much harder for anyone to crack that password. Make sure you have at least eight characters, followed by symbols and different case letters.
#5: Check Your Statements Regularly
In order to prevent such things as soon as possible, you have to check your statements regularly. Try to enable notifications with every purchase or two-factor identification where you need to allow the purchase before it becomes successful.
#6: Avoid Shopping on Public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi networks can be corrupted, so everything you type can be shown on the hacker’s computer. You can also use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to add another layer of security.
#7: Check the Seller
If you want to make a purchase from an unknown website, you should always run a portfolio check on the seller. There is a huge database of every person online, so try researching the seller on forums or social media just to get a better idea of whether the website is legit.
These are some of the ways you can protect yourself during online shopping. As the world moves forward, we cannot restrict ourselves from online shopping, but we should be extra careful in order to avoid hacker attacks that come without a warning.
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