The objective is that personal data always remains safe, reduce the risk that an intruder accesses accounts or makes payments by impersonating our identity. By following a series of simple steps, you can protect yourself and reduce the risk of problems and fraudulent payments online.
Pay online safely
Whenever you are going to pay online, for example, when making a purchase on Amazon, you should take into account some recommendations. Especially, you should apply these tips when you are going to use pages that may not be as reliable and pose a risk to your security on the Internet.
Always official sites
The first thing you should do is make sure you are purchasing through official sites. This is essential, since otherwise you could become a victim of attacks and scams. Never buy from a secondary website, which they could have created just to scam you and steal your personal data.
Also, when you are going to buy from a website, you should check the URL very carefully. The first thing is that it really corresponds to the domain of the page where you hope to buy. You should also make sure it is an encrypted domain, to reduce the risk of the information you are going to send being leaked.
Use a secondary card
Another tip that we want to give to buy online with guarantees is to use a secondary card. When you go to make a payment, even if it is a secure site, there is always a minimal risk that there will be a vulnerability or information will be leaked. By using another card, you will not be exposing your main card.
Ideally, you should have a reloadable card, one of those called a wallet. You simply add the money you think you will need for the purchase and that’s it. There are also disposable virtual ones, which only work for one transaction and nothing more. In case the data is leaked, they would not be able to do anything with it.
Be careful with data they ask for
Have you received an email requesting more information or even making a new payment for a alleged error? Be careful with this, as it is surely a scam. Cybercriminals often use techniques of this type. They make the victim believe that something has happened, to request certain information or to pay money.
If you have questions, it is best to contact directly the online store where you are purchasing. This way you will make sure if there really could be a problem or if it is a scam attempt to steal money from you when buying online.
Protect your devices
It is always important to have your devices properly protected, but even more so when you are going to make a payment or transaction online. It is key to have a good antivirus, since this will help you detect the entry of malware that could compromise your security. There are many options, so we recommend that you inform yourself and choose carefully.
But protecting the device also means having it updated. This will help you avoid vulnerabilities that could harm your security when purchasing. It is essential to always have the latest version of the firmware and thus avoid problems.
Constant review
You can’t miss having one constant review. It is important that you always take a good look at your bank account after making a payment. In case you detect something wrong, you will be able to solve it as soon as possible. It is not a good idea to buy things online and let too much time pass without checking it.
You should also review everything we have explained before: having the device updated, having a good antivirus, etc. This will help you reduce the risk and be able to pay online safely.
As you can see, you can take into account these steps that we have taken to be able to pay online with complete security. The goal should be to maintain good protection and avoid errors that could hinder your privacy. Just as you can safely buy tickets online, you can apply it to anything else.
