Here are 5 Easy Tips on How you can Secure your Online Transactions
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India is rapidly embracing the digital. Everything (well, almost) in the present day is digitalized, be it the processing of information, paying off bills or buying of goods. While digital is becoming the norm, some may still find it a bit complicated and doubts about the security of digital payments are never an old topic of discussion. With the increasing rate of cyber frauds, it has become crucial that we become aware of and adopt safe digital transactions. Whether you’re new to digital payments or been at it for long, you must ensure the security of your online transactions.
Here are 5 tips you can follow to keep your online transactions safe and secure.
1. Avoid Public Wi-Fi for Online Transaction
Public Wi-Fi is readily available – be it cafes, railway stations, hospitals, universities, offices, and airports. However, being public, most of these networks lack the required level of security. Hence, people using these public networks are easy targets for hackers. If you are not careful, you may subject yourself to the high risk of getting infected with a virus or malware that can steal your sensitive information.
Hence, if possible, avoid using public networks as much as possible. If unavoidable, try to use a virtual private network (VPN) to access them as it adds a layer of security.
2. Avoid Sharing Your One Time Password (OTP)
Avoid sharing the OTP and PIN of your debit and credit cards as this can lead to unauthorized people accessing your bank account. OTP acts as the terminal line of security between anyone and the bank account; hence, sharing it is giving someone an open invitation to have a scoop at your money.
A few possible ways in which a hacker can misuse your OTP are:
(i) Make fraudulent transactions using your account
(ii) Get to know your spending pattern
(iii) Access the account information to scam you
3. Avoid Accessing Suspicious Looking Websites
Many a time we find ourselves in strange domains of the internet where a website may look awkward and uncomfortable. Clicking on any of the thumbnails on that particular site can get your system infected. To avoid certain scenarios, always stick to verified websites and merchants for surfing and e-commerce purposes. Unverified or non-secure websites may inject viruses and trojan horses in your system to scam you and extract sensitive information.
4. Lookout for Secure Padlock
Always check for links starting without ‘http’ as they are not secure. Secure sites start with ‘https’. Never access your bank accounts using links from other unverified websites. This may lead to spyware getting installed in your system. Another precaution is to look out for a padlock symbol when you access a website. These two features indicate that the website uses SSL or TLS protocol to encrypt data. They also indicate that the website can be trusted.
5. Use “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) Services Instead of Direct Bank Transfers
Apart from credit services, BNPL also helps in making online transactions safe and secure. The exclusive “Buy now, Pay later” option allows buying stuff without entering your bank details. It eliminates the use of third-party payment gateways. This provides with total security!
With rapid advancements in technology, cyber-attacks too are increasing in frequency and severity. Hence, you must take adequate precautions when making online transactions. Following the steps described above can help you secure online transactions to a significant extent.
