10 Tips to Stay Safe While Shopping Online

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GUEST BLOGGER
Hallie Ayres
Contributing Writer

Online shopping is at an all-time high. According to a study from Mastercard, online shopping has spiked by 57%, while the fraud prevention firm Kount’s spring 2020 report found that online transaction volume had increased for wellness and vitamin products, sporting goods, and wine and liquor by 91%, 599%, and 900% in comparison to 2019 numbers.

As online activity has increased during global self-isolation, unfortunately so has the rate of cyberfraud, phishing and account hacking.

Once fraudsters gain access to an account, they have the ability to steal your personal information and credit card details stored in the account. They can use the hacked account to purchase things on your dime, or they can use the dark web to sell access to your account. While this increase in cybercrime during the COVID-19 pandemic can very easily target individuals, it’s important for businesses to take necessary precautions as well. An Infosecurity Magazine article cites that 52% of retailers believe fraud will rise during the pandemic, yet 26% of these retailers confessed that they currently have little to no measures in place that would assist in fighting and recovering from cyber criminals. This damage could impact organizations in the long run, with about half of survey respondents saying they’d stop purchasing from a specific retailer if their accounts were breached.

Here are 10 tips to help you stay safe while shopping online.

1. Create strong passwords for new accounts.

Along with complex, hard-to-guess passwords, be sure you enable two-factor authentication whenever you’re given the option. With this extra step of verification in place, your data will not as easily be compromised in the event of a data breach or cyberattack. You may even want to consider investing in a password manager like Dashlane, Keeper or 1password.

2. Never repeat your passwords.

When you’re creating complex passwords, don’t use the same password or passphrase across multiple platforms. Imagine if your password and email address were leaked in a hypothetical breach. How many other websites and accounts could a potential fraudster hack into with just those two pieces of information?

3. Keep your personal identifying information (PPI) private.

Don’t provide unnecessary PPI while checking out at a retail site. Websites that ask for your SSN or date of birth are most likely scams, as sites do not need this information to process shopping orders.

4. Double-check the site’s security status.

To confirm that the website you’re visiting is safe, check to see that there’s a locked padlock icon to the left of the site’s URL. If you don’t see this, make sure you’re on the intended website. Scammers often register domains that appear similar to frequently trafficked sites, but the fraudulent sites may have slight spelling differences in the domain name and will not be secure.

5. Consider alternative payment options.

Some payment options are more secure or more private than others. For instance, if you have the option to use PayPal, GooglePay or a similar third-party payment platform, you can purchase items without giving away your credit or debit card information. If those options aren’t available, paying with a credit card offers you more consumer protection than paying with a debit card. Consider all available options and select whichever one offers the most security.

6. If you share a login with anyone, talk about password security.

Be mindful in any situation in which you choose to share your account login information. As online streaming services gain popularity during quarantine, people may be giving out their login credentials to friends and family members. Before doing so, be sure that these loved ones know how to protect your personal account information.

7. Sign up for alerts.

Set up digital alerts from your bank to receive notifications if there’s ever any suspicious or unusual activity on your account. If you want to be even more secure, opt in to alerts that will notify you whenever a transfer is made directly from your account.

8. Shop from known and trusted vendors.

You may see targeted ads on your social media channels. Just because a site appears in an ad doesn’t mean it’s trustworthy. It’s not difficult for bad actors to slip malicious ads through the ad approval process of major social networks. On a related note, take a moment to check the privacy settings on your social media accounts and ensure that your profiles are as private and secure as possible. Also, disable location tracking for these accounts.

9. Have discretion when sharing information about yourself publicly.

Be wary of the information you share about yourself on your social media accounts. Biographies or “About You” sections often list employers or school affiliations, or even more specific data such as where you live, the name of your pet or your favorite sports team. All of this public information makes it much easier for fraudsters to do their research and build their own credibility to make it seem like they’re calling from a reputable source. Much of this information could be used by cyber criminals as clues for security questions during the password reset process on your accounts.

10. Stay educated and up-to-date on the latest trends.

Keep yourself and your organization informed. Have discussions and hold (virtual) trainings to insist on proper cyber hygiene. Be sure that friends, family and colleagues are well-versed in how to identify suspicious callers and emails. Remember that your business is only as secure as the weakest password.

As a consumer and as part of an organization, continue to develop your cyber awareness and integrate strong cyber hygiene habits into your daily interactions online. With so many transactions happening online, both in personal and professional capacities, it’s not just the IT team anymore. You are a valuable asset in preventing cybercrime.