We all love to shop online, be it for the discounts of the ease of being able to do it from comfort of our drawing rooms. However, it is very necessary to be wary of online shopping scams on e-commerce websites as it is very easy for hackers to target shoppers. Here, we are listing down some scams that you should keep an eye open for online in order to protect your credit card information. Take a look:
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Beware of phishing emails
- If the email promising you a heavy discount on that premium handbag seems too good to be true, it probably is. There are times, when people receive mails of lucrative offers that direct them to a page that requires them to enter payment information. However, if you happen to receive such an email, make sure that it is not from a fraudulent website before you enter any information. Very often, these websites look like the official website of the brand they are posing as. So, the next time you get an email to update your payment information, make sure you contact the concerned company’s customer support helpline to confirm whether it’s really been sent by them.
- There are some other ways of knowing that the email that you have received may be an attempt of phishing. The first thing that you should do is look carefully at the sender’s address. It may look exactly the same as the email address of the online shopping website, but it will contain an extra character. If not that, there may be a case of incorrect spelling in the email address.
- Pay attention to the way you have been addressed in the email. If the email does not use your name and instead has something more generic like ‘Dear Customer’, then you really need to check who has sent it as it may not be from a trusted source.
Credit card information can now be stolen online
- Earlier, our credit card or debit card information could be stolen when we swiped them. Now, this information can also be stolen digitally. But then, there are a few things that can be done to secure this information. Firstly, check whether the website has been compromised. While there isn’t a specific way of finding this out, but something about the website where you are entering your credit card information may seem out of place if it has been tampered with. Another very important step to follow is not to save your credit or debit card details on websites or payment wallets or any other apps.
- Besides this, you also need to ensure that you are notified about all the purchases that have been made using your credit card. Another thing that you can do is turn off all international purchases on your credit and debit cards.
- Another small step that you can follow is never to use your credit card on a public Wi-Fi network. You can either use your mobile data or a trusted Wi-Fi connection while making payments. Remember that public Wi-Fi networks can be compromised.
Are you a regular online shopper? There are other basic tips you should know in order to stay safe online. Check them out here.
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