10 Urgent Shopping Tips For Safe Cyber Shopping This Holiday
Have you shopped online before? You probably have experienced the ease and comfort that is associated with the experience
. Thousands more are making the switch to online shopping.
The holidays are here again and with them the rush to shop for items, both online and offline. Like shopping offline, e-shopping also poses its own security risks. Millions of dollars are lost annually to online fraudsters and scam artists who have developed sophisticated and ingenious ways of defrauding unsuspecting internet shoppers of their hard-earned money.
To keep your credit card information safe and secure, you do well to take to mind these 10 urgent tips that would ensure you do your shopping in secure and safe environment.
1.Browser version: Youd be surprised how many PC owners still use outdated browsers. Most persons do not update browsers because new versions often come with a new learning environment; most persons also do not want to lose a useful add-on which may not function properly with the new browser. Nonetheless, shopping online does demand that you constantly update your browsers. With an update you get advanced safety and security features, improved PC speed, stability and more. A new browser will not crash as often as older versions.
2.Credit Card: The key to shopping online is basically the credit card. In recent times, though, online identity and credit info theft doubled; as a result most persons are discouraged from online shopping. Since the credit card has become an indispensable medium of exchange for online transactions, how can you shop better and safer with yours?
a.Never share credit card information with colleagues, relatives and or children. They may inadvertently share and expose your financial info with another stranger.
b. Monitor your transactions and credit card statements; do these by signing up to be alerted on the slightest attempt at transaction that occurs on your card. Only authorized transactions can be carried out.
c.You must store and memorize email address of your card provider.
3.Virtual Credit Cards: This is a pre-paid utility that has a fixed denominational value and which expires after a single transaction. This remarkable feature safeguard online shoppers from hackers since financial information is never exposed in any way. Even when this is so, the card is invalid after a single use. Virtual credit cards are accepted practically at every online shop where physical credit card is accepted. Discrimination, if any, is low.
4.Validate online accounts: it is alarming the number of users who fail to log out of websites, especially when using public computers, i.e. at cybercafes, and POS terminals. They are inadvertently compromising their passwords security, usernames and other personal information to the public. Ensure you log out of email accounts and other online sites after every session.
5.Connectivity: When you use the internet to shop this holiday, it is very essential that you have trusted and reliable internet connection. Interrupted sessions often mean that you leave your accounts on. When eventually connection is restored, more often than not, your session and or account are open and exposed, and a clever hacker can easily manipulate this situation to their advantage.
6. Effective Antivirus and anti-spyware programs: never undermine the use of these programs as they can save you a lot of heartache. AVs protect your system from malicious codes that attack your PC and monitor your keystrokes, automatically store your credit card and or financial information and covertly transfer same to a hackers computer. Install a comprehensive AV and anti-spyware when using your PC to surf at online sites and virtual malls. Your AV program must be up-to-date; you should make a decision if you needed a free or paid version.
7. Tag and Bookmark favorite sites and pages: These will ensure ease of use when you return to recommence your shopping. Tagging helps you find your best sites; i.e., if you bought a great dress at a given online mall, it helps if your tag could read quality dress shop, or such, for memory purposes.
8. Do your shopping early: Like shopping offline, shopping online also can be hecticand demanding at rush hours. Late shopping sees online shops servers crashing and becoming unresponsive, especially at the big malls where the traffic is high. These crashes lead to lose of purchase data, records and money. Early shopping will save you time, frustrations, and money.
9.Checkout only at an encrypted page: Before ever you pay for your purchase online, make certain it is at an encrypted page. Another word for encryption here is Secure. Site URLs with SSL or Secure Socket Layer will begin with https instead of http. When you conduct business at https sites (sometimes this will appear at checkout) your financial information is hidden and secure.
10. Do you need to sign up for newsletters and other email/notification alerts at online malls? Caution should be the watchword here; some emails have been known to carry hidden malicious codes which filter in your PC. If you take the foregoing tips to mind, you can be certain that shopping this holiday can be a truly happy and enjoyable experience.
by: Israel Warner
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