Everything from buying mobile phones to ordering food is happening through the internet. E-commerce websites, food delivery apps, online payment services, all these businesses are gaining immense popularity in the market. With the increase in technology and digital transactions, there is also a major increase in financial thefts. While we are all aware of the fake lottery messages, that ask us to pay a certain amount to receive the entire sum, there are lots of other types of scams taking tolls these days ? credit cards thefts, fake movie download links, spam mails. One of the most recent case is where some stranger has accidentally sent some money to your bank account and asks you to send the money back. It is therefore very important for you to be alert and careful while dealing with money online. Here are some things you could in mind:
(1) It is always important not to trust websites or apps that aren?t properly designed and have too many pop-ups. Never ever open any links that are sent to you via emails that don?t have a proper sender?s address or does not address to you. There may be people trying to contact you, asking you to enter your bank account details or credit card details, pretending to be calling you from the bank or insurance company.
(2) It is also preferable to use credit cards over debit cards, because they tend come with some protection perks, for example the Credit Card Fraud Protection Insurances ? so if you lose your money in any of these online frauds, the company will pay you.
(3) The other most important thing to keep in mind is to use strong passwords for all your accounts. And, make sure all your passwords aren?t the same. Use long passwords with mixed characters, and not birthdates and last names. Logout out of computers and mobile phones after you?ve completed using your accounts. Update your passwords on a regular basis.
(4) Never use public free Wi-Fi at airports and coffee shops ? these are never safe, and someone can always access your information.
(5) Never open a website which does not start with https: or doesn?t have a padlock symbol on the browser window ? this just means that the website isn?t secure.
(6) Make sure you install a genuine, antivirus software on all your devices, and make sure you update them on a timely basis.
(7) Don?t shop from a website you haven?t ever heard of before you don?t do a background check or confirm from other customers about its service
(8) Just contact your bank in case you have queries or issues. They will always have some solution.
Stay online safe!
