It’s been over eight months that you have been practically home, to avoid exposing yourself to the virus. Apart from helping out with household chores and playing or spending time with your grandkids, you have gone in a little deeper in the digital space and really moved beyond the cursory social media checks and reading/watching the news. You have started shopping online, which is not surprising as the trend began a couple of years ago and it has only been accelerated by the pandemic.
In a world filled with cyber risks and frauds coupled with misleading ads, how do you navigate the e-commerce space safely and shop in a relaxed fashion. Here are 5 key points to remember:
Never log out
The way most apps and websites drive users to buy relevant products these days is based on cookies. It’s a tracking mechanism which tracks your behaviour on the website or the app. Hence to have the most optimal experience every time you log in to Amazon or Flipkart, do not log out.
It is completely safe not to log out. Your data is anyways with the platform and your device is secured, so your environment is automatically secured. You have to just ensure that you aren’t logged onto an unsecured network. It’s not advisable to login to public networks to shop online. You can use your secured mobile data if you have to.
Its safe to store the card details or UPI details on the shopping platform
There is a common misconception that storing your card details or your UPI details on popular platforms is not safe. It’s actually not true.
These are highly secured platforms and Indian cards have a two-step verification processes by default where somebody has to first know your security code, which is not stored along with having access to your mobile number where the OTP will be received. UPI transactions also have a two-step verification process, where one has to enter the UPI Hence to simplify the checkout process, it’s advisable to save your card details or UPI details.
Update your system’s antivirus and ensure your device’s inbuilt security system is always on
Technology companies have invested great deal of money into cybersecurity to ensure that you remain safe while you shop online. All you have to do is to ensure that your OS, i.e. Windows/Android/iOS is regularly updated. If you are using an antivirus software on your laptop or desktop, ensure that the software is updated and switched on always.
Do not store your passwords on any device’s hard drive
For security reasons, do not store your commonly used e-commerce platform passwords on anywhere specific file, folder, or app. Store it in google drive/Gmail or even better, write it down in a notepad/diary. Sometimes it’s better to go analog to remain safe digitally.
Password Characters
Password thumb rules are pretty straightforward and explicitly mentioned while you create any account for the first time, you need to use a mix of alphabets, numbers, and special characters. Do not use your name/date of birth in any form in your password. Use something abstract but unique to you, which cannot be cracked by a hacking bot operating on a set of algorithms created to crack passwords by targeting your basic information.
Always remember, you have the full power of very sophisticated technology companies behind you, whose very business model depends on you shopping on their platforms safely and securely. So, don’t worry, they have got your back. Happy Shopping!