Purchasing things on the Internet offers several advantages, including the ability to save time on the road, compare costs, read reviews on items and services, and select a trustworthy vendor. Internet buyers have access to a considerably greater selection than in any offline store. But, buying on the Internet has a number of drawbacks: if you pay for the products with a credit card, you may not receive them, and your personal information may fall into the hands of scammers. Furthermore, because the Internet is constantly available – you don't need to travel to the store to buy something – buying products online might be more addictive than you may think.
So what should you be careful about when buying goods online?
Beware of too big discounts
The concept of the security of paying for things online usually comes last in the mind of a potential buyer.
There are numerous diversions on the Internet: you must have time to buy products before the deal ends, or when no one is distracting you at home. Furthermore, the home setting provides greater comfort and security than the ambience of a shopping center or market. When a person comes across a scammer, they are masterfully provoked into fast, unthinking acts.
As a rule, scammers send letters about huge discounts on certain products. However, in such mailings lies the first pitfall of paying for purchases of goods via the Internet. By clicking on the link, a potential buyer may end up on a phishing site.
Shop on trusted sites
The disadvantages of online shopping include the inability to touch or try on the product. And many people have doubts when buying. In order for the thing that you receive to be as similar as possible to the photo, you must follow certain rules.
- Make purchases in trusted online stores. For example, the flower delivery store https://djflowers.ae/ has a huge number of live, unretouched photos of flowers, as well as many reviews in the Google search engine with photos of flower bouquets. Also, the site doesn’t require the input of card data, which means that you will definitely not be deceived by scammers. Payment for the bouquet occurs only after receiving the flowers.
- Study the product card and size chart if you buy clothes. Pay attention to the model in these clothes, her height. Watch the video, it's a great way to see the fit and even the quality of the fabric. Read product reviews.
- Don’t forget to read the terms of delivery and return. Choose a convenient way: courier delivery, pickup points, parcel lockers. If there is only delivery among the options, while there are no reviews or company registration address, it is worth doubting.
Enter the store address manually
The most common pitfall of online shopping is paying for goods through a phishing site. And despite the fact that large banks are directing more and more efforts and funds to prevent fraud, a lot depends on the attention and financial and information literacy of the clients themselves.
It is best to start shopping by going to the main page of the online store you need, entering its address manually. As a rule, the victims of phishing sites are users who follow a link posted on the pages of another resource, for example, with a product review.
Get a virtual card
A virtual card (a digital analogue of a regular card) will help you avoid money losses on phishing sites, containing the minimum limit of funds that you need only to pay for goods and services on the Internet. The risk of its compromise, that is, the appearance of the card number in the bases of scammers.
Summary
The growing popularity of online shopping is primarily due to saving time. The purchase process is simplified and shortened to a minimum: place an order, pay online, and the delivery service is already at your door! It is convenient and profitable, because there is nothing more valuable than time.
But in this regard, there are more and more scammers. So take care of yourself and your data!
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).