7 Keys for stress-free online transactions

Nitin Surve

Shopping online using cards is becoming increasingly popular as it makes life way easier. Be it an e-commerce transaction, booking tickets online or availing a service, online transactions have successfully proved in saving time and providing the much desired convenience.

But, while you enjoy the comfort of comfortably shopping at your fingertips, its time you are aware of how to protect yourself from the risk of being a victim of cyber frauds. With incidents of online theft, hacks and data breach on the rise, getting e-safe is the need of the hour and protecting oneself from online vulnerability.

Follow these tips to protect yourself from those sticky hands of cybercriminals:

 Avoid making transactions on public networks and computers
To protect sensitive information like card numbers try shopping from your home Internet connection. Avoid shopping when connected to a public Wi-Fi network or public devices as data theft is at a greater risk for hacking

 Report any unusual transaction to the bank immediately
Always save records of your online transactions, which should include the receipt, order number, product description, and price. You will also want to save any emails you send or receive from a seller, which may come in handy if there's a problem later on. Also, keep a tab on all your account statements on a timely basis

 Make payments on ‘https’ URLs only
Many websites will display a lock symbol in the address bar. This is most commonly seen on the payment page of an online store. This means the website is using an HTTPS connection, which makes it safe to enter your information

 Check for encryption signs
Encrypting emails, files and even your entire data storage prevents unauthorized people from accessing them. Encryption provides protection against breaches of confidentiality for both company and personal data

And of course:
 Install latest security software and keep all software up-to-date
Install anti-virus software on your devices and keep it updated from time to time. Use the latest version of your web browser and install security patches and software updates

 Change your passwords from time to time
Make it difficult for hackers to crack your password. Create smart passwords by incorporating capital letters, numbers, and special characters, and using more than six characters

 Don’t click on unverified links
Do not open unsolicited emails or click on any links or attachments in an email until you verify its authenticity with the sender. Do not click on any links from unverified websites or downloads from unverified pop-up messages. It is a common phishing practice to send an email that looks legitimate but contains infected files or directs the user to an unsafe website

(Nitin Surve is CTO, TechProcess Payment Services Ltd. Views expressed here are of the author and CyberMedia does not necessarily endorse them.)