With the festive season, so comes a great deal of shopping and what better way to get all the goodies you need than by doing a little online shopping! The problem however is that your credit card details can fall prey to prying eyes – even if you are the only person in the room! While the thrill of getting great online deals is real, so is the disappointment of falling victim to online credit card fraud and crime.
When choosing to do a little virtual shopping, keep these safe online shopping tips in mind to protect you and your hard earned cash this festive season:
- Only use your credit card on sites that offer a secure connection. You can determine if a site is secure by looking for the “https” prefix – the “s” is an added security measure that scrambles your data.
- Look for the lock image on many sites which appears as an icon, or a digital security certificate.
- Make sure that your browser doesn’t save your credit card details in the auto-complete feature. You can turn off your browser’s auto complete setting while doing online shopping. How do you do this? In your browser, select “settings” and then select “show advanced settings”. Locate the “passwords and forms” section and click on “manage auto-fill settings”. Uncheck the “enable auto-fill” feature.
- Keep an eye on your statements and on your SMS notifications in case of any fraudulent activity. If a transaction is being processed that you have not effected, get in touch with your bank immediately.
- Never send your credit card details via email or fax to anyone. If the transaction cannot be completed online through an automated system, then you should be a little suspicious.
- Make sure that your credit card security features are activated. Some credit cards will send an OTP to your cell phone that must be entered to complete the transaction, while others will require a response from your cell phone to ensure that you are actually making the purchase. Enquire with your credit card company about any additional security features that you can make use of.
Try only to make use of your credit card on well-known, secure sites. If you haven’t heard of a website before and you are interested in their products, undertake to find out if anyone else has had dealings with them before you start shopping. The last thing you need this festive season is to become a victim of online fraud!
For more tips and advice on how to protect your personal information and data, get in touch with us at Soteria!