My Online Payment Experience 

Open webpage, click, enter email, enter the password. Incorrect password, I looked very confused at my laptop screen and pondered why the pin code that I wrote down the previous night, does not want to work. Finally, I get in after resetting my password, the flight portal has no stored information on my flight confirmed details. 

I looked everywhere but couldn’t access a record on my flight. Have I been phished? I panicked and started checking around on the webpage the page just didn’t look professional. Only after getting a reply from the flight company and contacting them, I was at ease.

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Increase of online consumers

It’s been reported that there have been rapid increases in e-commerce and digital payments lately as most people are trying to limit their visits to the store during the current pandemic. Will digital payments become the new future? At the tip of your fingertip, you can pay for almost anything you need, however not all people feel entirely secure about sharing their bank details or personal information online.

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Consumer Safety 

Most of my friends have anxiety about having to enter their details online and rather prefer to avoid it by all means. What if the digital phase is upon us and paper money becomes a thing of the past just how some coins have completely phased out, will you be ready to embrace the digital phase?

For those who might still feel unsure about doing transactions online, I have decided to give some tips on how you can keep your eyes open and be alert while doing your online payments: 

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The amateur

We are probably all guilty for sharing too much of ourselves on the internet. On our social media pages we post pictures of ourselves and post places that we visit which makes you even more vulnerable to become a victim to strangers. How much more can you become a victim of a cyber attacker if you not careful? While making online payments there are certain preventive measures you must take, which I would call to be-alert-and-cautious of anything unusual.

Just like you look carefully before you cross the road, you have to be responsible while you make online payments so that you don’t put your details at risk. These are basic measures that will allow you to be a step ahead of hackers that are calculating your careful interactions with the internet.

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Secure Measures

The consumer is largely protected in an event where payments went off on your account without your knowledge. How can you prevent such from happening? Firstly, you need to change your passwords for your cards regularly. Try not to do the old fashioned of wanting to keep your passwords the same for all your accounts. When you in a public space and you want to make a payment do not use public WIFI to do so, as hackers can easily set up a public WIFI of the same name for example “Abc restaurant”, when you connected to their WIFI router mistakenly they can then see and record everything you do.

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Bank Text Alert 

It is also important to set up a text alert from your bank so that if money is deducted you can see it and be able to notify your bank right away. Another technique is to check the features on any webpage you on, check for the legitimacy of the site (there must be contact details, reviews, policy).

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Site Security Lock

You can also check for safety features on a site if it has a small lock icon or an https, the “s” indicates that the site you on is secure. If you don’t see any of these features than it could be a clone of the actual site. Lastly check through your statement history regularly, being mindful of your transaction’s history is another way of checking if there is no unusual activity in your bank account. These are crucial alerts that you need to be on the lookout for, it is like making sure the traffic light is green before you proceed.

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Malicious software

Be on the lookout for malicious software also referred to as malware which enters your computer without you knowing it. The silent fraud, where criminals use malware to steal the login information of your accounts. Don’t click on pop-ups or respond to unusual emails or messages, because these are some of the tricks that hackers use to get into your laptop. If you suspect any malware do not proceed with your payments.

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Final Remarks 

Online shopping has become more common among all age groups, with all the devices available that can allow you to almost buy from anywhere. Consensus shows that digital shopping is fast advancing that’s why we as the consumers also need to upgrade our knowledge so that we can be ready for the digital phase, like the proverbial go, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

If you enjoyed reading these online tips, read more: How to survive inflation