{"id":35031,"date":"2019-05-02T22:22:44","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T14:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=35031"},"modified":"2019-05-02T22:22:47","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T14:22:47","slug":"tips-on-staying-safe-when-shopping-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2019\/05\/02\/tips-on-staying-safe-when-shopping-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips on staying safe when shopping online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With everything being available on click or swipe, saying no to online shopping is next to impossible. And why would you even consider letting go of the convenience that comes with e-commerce? Hacking, for once, is a growing concern among many security-savvy online shoppers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only way to buy\nsomething from an online store is by leaving personal information, often\nincluding your name, email address, and of course, your payment credentials. If\nyou\u2019re not careful about where you\u2019re shopping, these can easily get stolen and\nexploited by cybercriminals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, there are\nways to prevent this from happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following tips\nare tried and tested against cybertheft:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong> Avoid Suspicious-Looking Online Stores<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t trust\nyourself to make smart decisions when shopping online, then make a mental note\nto check the site\u2019s information on your browser\u2019s search bar. If the online\nstore you\u2019re considering making a purchase at is safe, then there should be an\nS in the web acronym HTTPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This S stands for\n\u201csecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively,\ntrust your gut and don\u2019t shop at stores that seem fishy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong> Check the Online Store\u2019s\nPrivacy Policy <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another smart trick\nis to navigate to the store\u2019s privacy section and read its privacy policy. It\nwill tell you more about how this company is using your information, most\nimportantly, whether or not it intends to sell it to third parties. Agree only\nto the terms you feel comfortable with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if it requires too much personal\ninformation, abandon the cart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong> Encrypt Your Information Using\na VPN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A virtual private\nnetwork (VPN) allows you to encrypt your data while you\u2019re shopping online.\nIt\u2019s certainly recommended to use a VPN\nfor Windows<\/a> when shopping from home, but it\u2019s necessary to rely on\nthis encryption technology if you\u2019re connected to a public WiFi.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A VPN is very\nuseful for mobile shopping as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your phone isn\u2019t\nequipped with antivirus, a VPN is the only security measure you have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/strong> Change Your Passwords Every Month<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A password generator<\/a> can help you create a\nstrong random password that\u2019s virtually impossible to crack. But even then, you\nshouldn\u2019t be using the same password for multiple accounts. Rely on a password\nmanager to lock your different passwords so that you don\u2019t have to memorize\nthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally,\nchanging passwords every month is a smart habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That way, hackers\nwon\u2019t be able to break into any of your accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.<\/strong> Choose the Safest Payment\nMethod<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security experts\nurge online shoppers to avoid all payment methods except for credit cards<\/a>. This is because debit\ncards are directly linked to your bank accounts, while cash is untraceable. If\nsomebody frauds you, you\u2019ll never be able to get your money back if you\u2019re\npaying with cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stolen debit card\ncredentials can put your entire bank account in jeopardy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Credit card\nproviders, on the other hand, offer special security measures for online\nshopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.<\/strong> Stay in Contact with Your Card\nProvider<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some credit card\nproviders, for instance, enable you to make online payments with a virtual\nshort-term credit card number. This fake number disappears the moment your\npurchase is processed, which means that it\u2019s completely useless even if\nsomebody manages to steal it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, all providers\nare legally obligated to reimburse you for fraudulent charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact your credit\ncard company as soon as you notice something fishy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7.<\/strong> Always Keep Your Devices\nUp-To-Date<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping your\nsoftware and browsers up-to-date with the latest security measures and patches\nallows you to stay one step ahead of the criminals. This simple, yet effective\npractice will fix all potential entry points to your devices, thus keeping them\nclosed for hackers and malware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This goes for your\nmobile phone and anti-virus software, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8.<\/strong> Learn to Avoid Email Phishing\nSchemes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re doing\nmost of your shopping online, somebody has already labeled you as an easy\ntarget for email phishing schemes<\/a>. In the e-commerce\nworld, criminals use them to impersonate your favorite brand and lure you into\nentering your credentials on a dummy online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ll probably\noffer you a huge discount, so be careful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rule of thumb\nhere is to never click on any links that seem suspicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online shopping is\nextremely convenient. There\u2019s no need to go back to tiring window shopping and\nstore cruising, but make sure you\u2019re doing everything you can to protect your\npersonal data and money. With these security tips, you can keep shopping\nwithout any worries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The only way to buy something from an online store is by leaving personal information, often including your name, email address, and of course, your payment credentials. If you\u2019re not careful about where you\u2019re shopping, these can easily get stolen and exploited by cybercriminals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35032,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,26],"tags":[746,96],"class_list":["post-35031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","category-opinions","tag-online-shopping","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}