Valentine's Day is here and many of us are rushing for last minute purchase that special friend, partner...yup that special someone.
With the rise of e-commerce purchasing, it's easy to surprise someone at the click of the button! However, there's an increasing rise of phishing websites waiting to take advantage of all of us caught up in the festivities.
The GlobalSign team would like to share 5 quick steps to avoid online fraud:
1. Look for the “secure site” indicators
Look for the yellow padlock in browsers that will indicate if a website is using Secure Socket Layer(SSL) – an encryption technology ensuring that the data sent to the retailer (such as financial, personal and user account information) is encrypted & secure. It is also good practice to ensure that web address on the pages you enter sensitive information on begin with “https:” (s for secure) instead of “http:”
Also, do look out for the “Green Address Bar” in the internet browsers address bar which gives shoppers enhanced confidence with a clear visual indication of whether a web site operator has been
verified through a more rigorous level of background checks.
2. Protect your privacy & identity
Try and use different usernames password combinations from the ones you use for your banking, web mail and other accounts. The best passwords should not include information like addresses, birth dates, phone numbers or recognizable words. To be completely secure it is also not recommended that you write down your passwords or store them on or near your computer.
3. Be on the lookout for scams
Do not click on links in an unsolicited email or pop-up advertisement asking for personal information. Also, do not open and install attachments and free software from unknown sources.
If you receive an email that warns you that an account will be shut down unless you reconfirm your personal information, do not reply the email. Instead, call the organisation listed in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine to confirm if the request is authentic.
4. Use a safe method of payment
Most credit cards have protection on them so use a credit card wherever possible to pay for your purchase. Many credit card companies will, under certain circumstances, even pay the entire amount for you. If the merchant does not accept credit cards, look for other methods of safe payment such as PayPal
5. Get the details, keep the records
Keep all records of your purchase safe in a separate email folder so that they are easy to locate in the
event of a non-delivery Print out a copy of all transactions and keep them safe until the purchase has been delivered in case any emails are accidentally deleted. If there is no date on the printout be sure to add it in writing. At the time of purchase, make a note of a contact number or email for the merchant, just in case the products do not arrive.
We hope these tips help to make shopping a lot safer!
Happy Shopping!
psst. If you're looking to secure your website, do check out our Hong Kong promotion too! It's ending soon!
- The GlobalSign APAC team.
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