Online shopping is very convenient. You pick out whatever you want, pay with your card, and for a small fee, your shopping is delivered to your doorstep. However, while shopping for great deals online, it is important to remain vigilant. Some people want to steal your financial details and defraud you. Here are some tips to help you outsmart them:
- Do not shop from unrecognized sites. Also, while shopping from your favorite stores, make sure you have the correct address. Verify that you are shopping at Walmart.com and not WaImart.com (the second spelling has the capital letter “i”).
- Check the address bar before you enter your card details, ensure that the website starts with “https” and not “http”. Also, there should be a green padlock just before the address. If the padlock has a red strike across it, do not enter your details on the website.
- Do not store your card information online. Some retailers offer customers the option to save their card details on the website, removing the need to retype their details every time they make purchases. If you save your details on their site and the company suffers a data breach, your bank account may be compromised.
- Set up 2FA on all your bank accounts. That way, even if your details are exposed, the hacker still needs a one-time password to access your funds. Additionally, subscribe to SMS and email alerts from your bank. So, if you get debit alerts without initiating a transaction, you can quickly notify your bank.
Never use unknown Wi-Fi networks when shopping online, it is more prudent to use credit cards over debit cards, and never allow your browser save your passwords. While shopping via the internet, you are responsible for your security. Be smart!