Shopping online is extremely convenient, and with the increased spread of smartphones and internet in India, this trend is expected to increase further. Credit cards, among other payment methods, are being used for making payments for online purchases. Along with the rise in online shopping, there has also been a rise in online frauds.
According to Experian’s Digital Consumer Insights 2018 report, 1 out of 4 customers are falling prey to online fraud, while 24% of the respondents have directly experienced fraud while transacting online. Therefore, the user has to make sure that every safety precaution is followed, while using their credit card for online shopping.
Here are some useful tips on how to use credit cards in a way that will help protect you from becoming a victim of online fraud.
Never store credit card details online
It may be more convenient to store your credit card details on a website that you frequently shop from, but this practice can also make your credit card details vulnerable to hackers and unethical elements. Entering your details every time you purchase something can seem cumbersome, but in view of the security benefit it offers, it is well worth it.
Don’t transact over public Wi-Fi networks
The government is introducing free Wi-Fi in public places – which is a good measure – but, you should be wary of giving your credit card details while connected to them. Since this network is for the public, they have very low security and can be easily accessed by hackers.
Further, due to the lack of any software to prevent malware and spyware from infiltrating these Wi-Fi networks, they prove to be easy hunting
grounds for people with malicious intent.
Shop online only on reputed websites
By manipulating results of search engines, fraudulent online stores can trick gullible customers into parting with their credit card details. Therefore, it is extremely important to verify the integrity of the website you’re being directed to.
Always shop from a known and reputed brand and be aware of fraudsters who try to trick you by modifying the domain name of a reputed brand. For example, a website like Flipkart.com can be listed as Flipkart.biz and have the same graphical elements to trick you.
Look for SSL encryption
Whenever you are in doubt about a website’s trust quotient, always look for a closed padlock icon at the start of the address bar, along with ‘https://’ instead of ‘http://’. If these elements are present, then it means that the website is secure with a Secure Sockets Layer encryption (also known as SSL).
The SSL technology encrypts the flow of information from the shopper’s device to the retailer’s server. SSL also scrambles the information that you enter so that it becomes even tougher for hackers to access your credit card and other personal details.
Put a strong password
This is one of the best things that you can do to protect your credit card account from getting hacked. Make sure that you give separate, strong, hard-to-crack passwords for all your accounts. This will ensure that if one of your accounts is hacked, the others will not be compromised as well.
If the above tips are followed, then it will ensure that you have a safe online shopping experience. Check out credit cards like the Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank SuperCard which offers robust security along with features such as ‘in-hand security’ and ‘zero-fraud liability cover’.
According to Experian’s Digital Consumer Insights 2018 report, 1 out of 4 customers are falling prey to online fraud, while 24% of the respondents have directly experienced fraud while transacting online. Therefore, the user has to make sure that every safety precaution is followed, while using their credit card for online shopping.
Here are some useful tips on how to use credit cards in a way that will help protect you from becoming a victim of online fraud.
Never store credit card details online
It may be more convenient to store your credit card details on a website that you frequently shop from, but this practice can also make your credit card details vulnerable to hackers and unethical elements. Entering your details every time you purchase something can seem cumbersome, but in view of the security benefit it offers, it is well worth it.
Don’t transact over public Wi-Fi networks
The government is introducing free Wi-Fi in public places – which is a good measure – but, you should be wary of giving your credit card details while connected to them. Since this network is for the public, they have very low security and can be easily accessed by hackers.
Further, due to the lack of any software to prevent malware and spyware from infiltrating these Wi-Fi networks, they prove to be easy hunting
grounds for people with malicious intent.
Shop online only on reputed websites
By manipulating results of search engines, fraudulent online stores can trick gullible customers into parting with their credit card details. Therefore, it is extremely important to verify the integrity of the website you’re being directed to.
Always shop from a known and reputed brand and be aware of fraudsters who try to trick you by modifying the domain name of a reputed brand. For example, a website like Flipkart.com can be listed as Flipkart.biz and have the same graphical elements to trick you.
Look for SSL encryption
Whenever you are in doubt about a website’s trust quotient, always look for a closed padlock icon at the start of the address bar, along with ‘https://’ instead of ‘http://’. If these elements are present, then it means that the website is secure with a Secure Sockets Layer encryption (also known as SSL).
The SSL technology encrypts the flow of information from the shopper’s device to the retailer’s server. SSL also scrambles the information that you enter so that it becomes even tougher for hackers to access your credit card and other personal details.
Put a strong password
This is one of the best things that you can do to protect your credit card account from getting hacked. Make sure that you give separate, strong, hard-to-crack passwords for all your accounts. This will ensure that if one of your accounts is hacked, the others will not be compromised as well.
If the above tips are followed, then it will ensure that you have a safe online shopping experience. Check out credit cards like the Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank SuperCard which offers robust security along with features such as ‘in-hand security’ and ‘zero-fraud liability cover’.
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