How to protect yourself when shopping online

Gone were the days when a person has to walk, or transit in other to purchase goods or services or have to wait till sunrise to go to a supermarket. The world has evolved, with the invention of the internet, credit/ debit card, and online shopping, an individual can purchase any item he/she desired from online shopping platforms like Amazon, and eBay, online while sitting at home with the help of his/her smartphone or computer.

Anything that has advantages mostly has its disadvantages. Well, the Internet is one of those things. It is undeniable that the internet is one of men’s greatest invention, but it has caused many pains to a lot of people who are unable to counter its disadvantages, either by influencing them negatively or lost their hard-earned money while trying to purchases the desired item online while using their credit/debit card.

Credit/debit card

A credit card is an ATM card, A card issued by banks to withdraw cash from an ATM. Atm cards are issued by different platforms, the most popular being MasterCard, Visa, Verve, etc,

15 digits, CVV, and expiration that are required for online transactions. And those digits are all located in every issued ATM card. Those details should never be exposed to the public as they can be used to hack into your account.

1~ Set Aside Account For Online Transactions

The first precaution to keeping your self while online is by having an extra account specifically created for online transaction, This account is to be at zero balance all the time and only be credited when the owner is about to purchase a certain item online. The amount credited should not exceed the price of a certain item. Hence after the purchase, the account will return to zero balance as default.

The reason for this is that even if your card happens to fall into wrong hands, your money will be safe, As they can steal your money if it is not there in the first place.

2~ Not to insert your details into Unsecured sites.

Making sure a website is secured before inserting your card details, is very important, A secured website will be SSL certified, meaning it has HTTPS and has a locked Key in the URL.

A website with certified SSL is well secured, and always make sure to check the site reviews.

3~ Do not Reveal Card details

One should be cautious when using his or her card in the public domain. Exposing your card information in public places can lead to someone snooping your details and get into your account, and steal your hard-earned money. Covering your card when using it is important.

4~ It's bad to save your card details on your browser

Now, Most of the browser s have an in-build password saver, which will ask you if you would like to save the login details of the website you log into. It's a great feat that saves you a lot of time when logging into a site, as you would not have to enter your details all over again t it's a downside is that; phones can be stolen, lost, or even get affected by malicious software which could lead to your Card details been exposed to the person having your phone at the time or the malicious software attacks attack your phone. Avoid saving your logging details, it could lose your money.

5~ Lost Or Stolen Card

Always report a lost or stolen card to your bank, the bank will block the card, and can never be used by anyone that might have it.

That is the end of the article on how you can stay safe transacting online with your credit card. I hope you have learned one or two helpful tips from this article